What is Self-Care & Why We All Need It

It’s probably an understatement to say that we could all do with a little more self-care in our lives.

What can make self-care difficult is that to some of us it can feel unnatural. We’re so used to putting our jobs, families, and homes before ourselves that our needs often get put on the back burner. It’s time we started putting ourselves first! And trust us when we say that you’ll thank yourself when you do…

What is self-care?

Self-care means making a conscious effort to look after your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. You can practice self-care by moving your body, meditating, eating a healthy meal, or calling a friend who never fails to make you laugh.

At the end of this article, we’ll give you a few of our favorite self-care practices to help you get started.

Why is self-care important?

Practicing a self-care routine every day has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, while increasing happiness, improving concentration and giving you more energy.

Many of us are accustomed to repeatedly giving all of our energy to other people and various tasks, it’s impossible to pour from an empty cup. When you keep giving without taking the time to nourish yourself, you’ll start to feel burned out, frustrated, and generally not very happy.

It’s from this place of feeling nourished, cared for, and energetic that we can start giving back to others. The happiness that you create within yourself by practicing self-care will spill out onto others.

How to practice self-care

The best way to practice self-care is to decide on a routine that will serve you and your lifestyle. Start by thinking about when you could practice self-care. Then take the time to decide the forms of self-care that you think you will enjoy and benefit from the most.

For example, you might decide to start waking up earlier so that you can go for a run, stretch, and prepare a healthy breakfast before starting work. You may also have a little bit of time before bed in the evenings to follow a short, guided meditation.

Here are a few of our favorite ideas for self-care:

• Take a slow walk with no goal in mind
• Start training for a 10k
• Eat regular, healthy meals
• Plan your meals for the week
• Make sleep a priority - go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
• Set a goal for yourself that you would like to achieve before the end of the year
• Practice gratitude by making a list of all the wonderful things in your life
• Read a book about personal development
• Follow a guided meditation before bed
• Stay connected to your friends a family with regular phone calls
• Spend a day without screens of any kind
• Breathe into your belly for 3 minutes
• Join a team sport that you’ve always wanted to try
• Arrange a coffee date with your best friend
• Go to the movies alone
• Ask for help and accept it whenever it’s offered

How will you start practicing self-care today?