We don’t take enough care of ourselves. I know for me in particular, I can forget to take a few moments away to just tend to myself. Self-care can be anything you want it to be, but for me, playing video games or watching YouTube isn’t self-care. Even though I do enjoy it, self-care for me is tending to my emotional and physical needs. Self-care is simple, but so few people make a conscious effort to take care of themselves. So why is it important?
“Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” — Lucille Ball
In order to take care of others, we first need to take care of ourselves. If you want to give your best to the people that you cross paths with, make sure you’re happy! I get so cranky and passive-aggressive if I neglect my own needs, and that’s no fun for the people that talk to me. It’s not selfish. Selfishness is when you don’t consider others’ needs. If you understand that self-care is partly so you can give others your best, then you should know that it’s not selfishness, it’s emotional intelligence.
It seems like lately, the concept of burnout has been less of a taboo subject, and rightfully so. We give so much of ourselves to our jobs or our school, that we get exhausted mentally and physically. I believe that if you take a few moments to listen to your body every day, you can stave off burnout. I understand that it can be unnerving to let go a little bit. In my case, I feel like I’m wasting time if I’m not always working on something. No matter what your situation is, you’ll make it worse if you don’t take care of yourself.
Taking care of yourself will just make you happier. It gives you time to love yourself. It lets you look inside your mind, but it also lets you step back and gain a wider perspective. If I’m in a bad mood, whether I’m sad, angry, or anxious, I’ll get narrow-minded. I focus only on what’s wrong, and I can’t look at the problem at another angle. If I step back and take a few moments to tend to my own needs, I can then broaden my perspective. Inversely, if I don’t get time to myself, I won’t have the introspection that I typically do. Maybe it’s just me, but without introspection, I feel lost. I can’t examine my strengths and weaknesses, I can’t reflect on my life, I can’t write. Again, self-care helps with this. I call it being stuck in my head (narrow-mindedness) and being outside my head, (lack of mindfulness). Really, you want to be present and mindful at the same time.
So, what can you do to take care of yourself? It’s easy. Listen to your body and process your emotions. One of the things I do is take a warm shower. Maybe I’m weird, but I sometimes sit down in the shower, making sure the curtain is closed so the steam stays inside. It’s nice to listen to the rushing water and feel the warmth envelop me. While in the shower I meditate (it’s really simple but I’ll write about it later). Meditation is a fan-freaking-tastic way to practice self-care and mindfulness. Another thing I do is to cook a meal. I love to make something from scratch, and it makes me feel proud. Now, this next one is so simple you might think it’s silly: get dressed.
For me, the simple act of putting some actual clothes on makes me feel great. I don’t know the psychology behind this one but hey, it works for me. This isn’t an exhaustive list. The awesome thing is that self-care can be whatever you want. Maybe you need to hug a friend, call up someone and have a good conversation, or make yourself some coffee (I do that one.) It’s not that complicated.
Make sure you don’t neglect yourself. You’re a living, breathing person, and your needs are just as valid as anyone else’s. Taking care of yourself will help you lead a happier and healthier life.
