Last year was the year in which #selfcare became a trend on Instagram. It seems that self care is something that everyone is latching on to but do people really understand what it is? Many people I speak to seem to have anxiety about self care and are wondering how to fit it into an already over packed day. Other people are feeling lectured to and are rebelling against #selfcare. So what is self care and why should you and I take self care seriously?
Self care is something that particularly woman need to take seriously. Often women are the ones rushing around, packing everything in to their day, flying around like wonder woman with perfectionist tendencies who feel guilty about any time spent on themselves. Women are taught to be compulsive care takers, co-dependent, people pleasing and often martyrs so they can be very resistant to the idea that they even deserve self care. But self care is something that we should embrace into our lives particularly if our overall aim in life is peace and contentment.
One of the reasons women can find self care such a challenge is a rigid belief in what self care is along with limiting beliefs about whether they are deserving of it. The Self Care Forum helpfully provides this definition “The actions that individuals take for themselves, on behalf of and with others in order to develop, protect, maintain and improve their health, wellbeing or wellness.” Breaking this definition down I understand them to mean that self care is any act that we choose for ourselves that improves either our health or our overall peace and happiness both in the short term and in the long term, in other words our wellness.
Wellness is about a state of balance or regulation or homeostasis of the body and it is through self care that we maintain resilience and emotional regulation. Self care on a daily basis is needed to avoid problems like chronic stress, anxiety and long term health problems. Many long term chronic illnesses can actually be avoided by remembering to put our psychological needs and physiological needs first even when you have children (more about this in another post). Being well is understanding that we must put ourselves first in order to live and love maximally.
Therefore,
Self care need not be difficult or another thing you feel guilty about not doing. Many of my blog posts will be dedicated to covering an aspect of self care or personal care and ways you can maximise your ability to care for yourself. I can show you how to be efficient and productive in integrating emotional self regulation into your day to improve your emotional resilience. I will also review what tech is out there to help you manage your health. So stay tuned for my series of self care blog posts.
(If you would like to discuss your wellness you can book a wellness consultation with me. The amount of time you need will vary. Please telephone me for a free