Guilt-Free Self Care
Capitalism has made it virtually impossible to take a day off to self-care without the itch of feeling unproductive and lazy. There is this unspoken rule that we all seem to adhere to about work, which is, ‘work yourself to the bone to get ahead and if you feel like you’re going to faint, get a stronger cup of coffee’. I don’t subscribe to this bogus narrative and tirelessly work to dismantle it because it is not only unhealthy but it is destructive to our self-image.
This school of thought makes us equate our self-worth to our social standing and worse, makes us employees before we are people. This is not to say we should be lax and not give our work our best efforts instead I argue that we can only give our best, at our best. Like the old adage says, “you cannot pour from an empty cup”.
The truth is, our professional progress is dependent of the quality of work we deliver and not the quantity. Our best work will only come from a brain functioning at optimal level, not 3hrs of poor sleep. Taking a break is not a luxury, it’s a necessity and that’s why we need to shift from the mindset that self-care is spa dates to the understanding that self-care replenishing. Self-care is a holistic approach to tending to our needs. It’s being acutely aware of how your body feels and giving it what it needs, when it needs it. My rule of thumb when it comes to understanding what is and isn’t self-care is – if it gives you energy, it’s self-care. Self-care is renewing and refreshing to the mind, body, spirit, heart and self. It is not momentary relief.
Here are five examples of how you can self-care daily:
1. Sleep
Sleeping is great form of rest & self-care. It gives your body time to refresh and your cells a chance to rebuild. Sleeping also gives us some reprieve from our lives. It’s a free break from our deadlines, emotions, expectations and well, people.
2. Spend time in nature
Many studies have found that being in nature really does boost your happiness. Other studies have found that walking in nature can lower your risk of depression.
People that live in rural areas have been found to have a 20 percent lower risk of anxiety and a 40 percent lower risk of mood disorders compared to people living in urban areas.
3. Drink water
When you wake up tired & grumpy, pour yourself a glass of water. When you’re not sure if you’re hungry or bored, pour yourself a glass of water. When office gossip comes your way, escape by going to pour yourself a glass of water. Enough said? I think so.
4. Start journaling
Writing is another researched and proven form of self-help. It is both therapeutic and transformative. Journaling is a great way to make writing a self-care habit. If you’ve never kept a journal or perhaps aren’t sure of how to work through your thoughts alone, then perhaps get a guided journal to guide you along.
A great guided journal that uses positive affirmations to help you self-care while building a good self-image is the Affirmations Journal.
5. Keep positive affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements used to help manifest our innermost desires. Affirmations are great for silencing our inner critic and keeping more positive thoughts. By affirming ourselves, we counter negative self-talk and begin to change our unconscious beliefs of ourselves.
This list is easy and you can get on it today. Remember that we build our self-love through self-care. You can’t claim to love yourself, without caring for yourself too.
You can follow me on Twitter & Instagram @PhemiSegoe for more self-care and personal development content.