Self-Care, Self-Help, Self-Support

Call it what you’d like but self-care is clearly become a thing for many people. I think in the time we are currently living in, stress has become a real cause of anxiety for many people (myself included). Last year, I decided to put a hard focus on trying to, as much as possible, take into consideration the need for self-care.

I think everyone has a different idea of what self-care is but for me, it’s more than just a massage or a facial – though to be honest, I love both. It’s about finding space to think, to center myself, to focus on what matters and to breathe. Yes, a massage and a facial do give me time for that. But so does sitting with a cup of coffee, in the quiet of my home, reading or writing on this blog.

If self-care is a focus for you in the new year, here are a few suggestions that have worked for me:
1. Yoga: I used to hate yoga. With a passion. My mind couldn’t stop, I couldn’t sit still and it became frustrating for me. But the more I practiced yoga, the more I was able to sit and to breathe and to think.
2. Facials: Yes, from a skincare routine practice this is important to me, but having a weekly routine of doing an at-home facial allows me to relax, take 10-15 minutes for myself and to not think about what is stressing me out in that particular moment.
3. Saying No: I do tend to be more extroverted but I also need my quiet, me time. I had to learn that it was okay to say no when asked to attend a social event. At one point during the holidays, my calendar had six holiday functions over an 8 day period. At the end of the 8 days, I crashed. I was exhausted. I managed to get a cold. And I felt it in all aspects of my life. What I should have done was really limit the holiday functions to 3 over the 8 day period.
4. Reading: Again, it gives me the chance for quiet. I can escape and read about someone else’s life (whether fiction or non-fiction).
5. Keeping a calendar: It seems pretty odd that a calendar is a form of self-care for me, but I need that visual to see what is going on. It gives me the chance to write down things like “don’t make plans” or “call / text a friend” and creates a sense of accountability that I need.
6. Therapy: At one point my therapist suggested moving to every other month appointments and I insisted we didn’t. I like my monthly check-in. It’s almost like a maintenance plan but for my mental health.

Anyone else have self-care tips that they adhere to? (At least as much as possible!)