What is self care?

Have you heard of self care? Do you practice self care? Today we’re talking about what it is and why it’s so important. I’m a huge advocate for self care and I’m so excited to discuss this topic with you all. 

When you think of self care you might think of a bubble bath and a glass of wine after a long day, but it is so much more than that. You’ve probably heard the saying “fill your cup.” You have to fill your cup before you can fill anyone else’s, right? Well, self care is all about filling your cup. It’s about taking care of yourself. There are things we do to take care of our minds and our bodies. We take care of ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. The things we do to take care of ourselves are all different forms of self care. 

Self care is more than just how we relax. Self care is how we function. We take care of ourselves so that we can continue to go about our everyday lives. Just think, if we didn’t stop to eat throughout the day we would be hungry. And what happens when we’re hungry? It becomes hard to concentrate, to socialize . . .to function. We need self care to function. Without self care we are prone to exhaustion and burn out. 

How do we know when we’re getting close to burn out? Well, it looks a lot like depression. We stop looking forward to things we once enjoyed, sleep more, become irritable, and may even begin to dread doing everyday tasks. If we find ourselves getting to that point it’s time to stop and take some time to practice self care. 

So how do you know if you’re practicing self care? Just like most things, self care looks different for everyone. It can also look different for us on different days, at different times, when we’re in different moods, etc. We know we’re practicing self care when we feel more energized, relaxed, and ready to take on our life. 

This week I’m challenging you to practice some form of self care everyday. It can be something as simple as taking a few moments in the morning to stretch and gather your thoughts. Just take some time for yourself. You deserve it.