Top 5 Self Care Tips

Do you practice self care? Do you know what that even means when someone says that? This blog is for you then. I used to think self care was not really needed but there have been times in my life that have been such a blur due to stress, being busy and what I call blowing and going. let me tell you this is NOT healthy for you. There is only so much you can do in a day and over time problems will occur. Stress is one of the major players in chronic illness. Self care is a great way to improve how you handle stress. Self care means doing things you enjoy daily, putting your needs first sometimes, saying no, and having an overall more joyful life. We all want that right?

Here are some tips I have put together for you. You don’t have to do them all but find two or three that you want to implement and start doing this. You will thank me later and thank yourself, ahem, self care is also what you say to yourself on a daily basis so be the nicest person to YOU!

Self-Care Tip #1 : Drink more water

All life on this planet needs water, and your body is no exception. Your brain is about 70% water, and your body is composed of about 60% water. Even mild dehydration can cause your cells to contract and leads to fatigue, headaches, and other physical ailments. A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces each and every day. For example, if you weigh 140 lbs, you should drink 70 ounces of clean, filtered water per day. Many of my clients discover that simply drinking more water helps with cravings, low energy, insomnia and even weight loss, so be sure to drink up!

Self-Care Tip #2: Find a way to move your body that moves your soul, too

Have you ever noticed how most people at the gym don’t look happy? When exercise feels like something we’re supposed to do instead of something we really want to do, it’s really easy to blow it off and move our workouts off our priority list. What if you could find a workout that actually made you WANT to go to it? There are all kinds of different classes and workout programs these days, ranging from Zumba classes, dance classes and Barre classes (a blend of ballet, Pilates and yoga) to boot camp, martial arts and even aerial trapeze classes. Instead of forcing yourself to hit the elliptical machine and suffer through another boring workout, can you find a way to move your body that moves your soul, too? Take a look at your gym’s class schedule or look in at the activities available in your community. Head outside for a hike or a brisk walk – the fresh air and sunshine will have you feeling better, too. Commit to trying one new class a week until you find what makes moving your body fun. Express your gratitude for the beautiful body you have, and for all the incredible things it does for you. If you can do that, you’ll never have to ‘exercise’ again.

Self-Care Tip #3: Schedule your self-care on a regular basis

At a minimum, you should have one thing each week that you do for fun and that is just for you. It could be an hour at a coffee shop reading the paper, a weekly massage, or something as simple as taking a walk on a weekend morning. Taking time to re-charge yourself daily, weekly and monthly is your secret weapon to being able to give freely of yourself to others in your life. Our culture teaches us that it’s important to give freely of ourselves, but the truth is that if we only give freely to others and don’t re-invest in ourselves, we’re going to run out of steam quickly. In fact, I believe that the BEST way to give to others is only AFTER we’ve given to ourselves. After all, you can’t pour from an empty pitcher, and if you’re tired and worn out then you’re not able to give the best version of yourself to your family, your friends, your work and even your community. However, when we take the time to renew and replenish ourselves, our capacity for giving to others grows, so taking an hour each week for yourself isn’t selfish – it actually allows you to show up as your best version of yourself. 

Self-Care Tip #4: Create a nightly bedtime ritual

A nightly bedtime ritual can help you turn off your brain and get your body ready for sleep. If you’re prone to insomnia, be sure to leave your computer, tablet and smart phone OUTSIDE of the bedroom. Your bedroom should be a peaceful sanctuary that promotes rest. Before going to bed, take some time to transition out of your day and into a restful state. Perhaps you can read a little, meditate, or, my personal favorite, write in your gratitude journal. I keep a journal in my nightstand and each night I spend 5-10 minutes thinking about my day and writing everything that I’m thankful for – even if some nights the only thing I can come up with is gratitude for a warm bed. Practicing gratitude creates a peaceful state of mind and aids in falling, and staying, asleep.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. – Melody Beattie

Self-Care Tip #5: Find a way to make healthy living part of your journey, not your destination

Being healthy is not a destination; instead, it’s a way of life. In fact, the most surefire way to be healthy is to make healthy choices part of your life, rather than something you do only some of the time or only do in order to reach a specific goal. However, this doesn’t mean you need to change everything overnight. In fact, I’ve found the best way to make lasting change when it comes to healthier living is to take it week by week. Each week, decide on ONE thing (and only one) that you can do to be healthier that week. Is it drinking more water? Finding your perfect breakfast? Making sure that half your plate is full of vegetables at lunch and dinner? When you pick up one good habit each week (or drop one bad one), at the end of the year you’ve made 52 changes toward living a healthier life. Now that really adds up! 

There are definitely more things you can do but this is a good start. Now, write some things down you want to implement this week. Pick one thing each week, and try to spend a few minutes each day doing something you love whether its reading, laughing, dancing, doing nothing, taking a bath, moving etc. Look at your calendar. Is it filled with commitments and no time for you? If so work in and block off some YOU time! You deserve it!