What is self care really?

The practice of self care is really about taking care of and prioritizing your mental, physical, environmental, recreational, social, and spiritual well being. which is easy enough to say but for some of us can be hard to identify. Some of us have been expected to take on the care of others so long we loose sight of how to care for ourselves. We often feel selfish when focusing our attention on those things that are solely for our personal benefit. These seven life areas need to be tended to for optimum health. In order to focus on ourselves and our personal health we have to develop boundaries, learn compassion, know and honor our values and build our personal power.

how shall we go about it then?

Take a hard look at these life areas and ask yourself; how am I doing in these areas? One at a time, identify whether or not you are feeling accomplished in each area. How is your physical health? When was the last time you have a physical? when did you visit the dentist last? How is your exercise rutine going? are you eating healthy for your body? is there any thing you have been avoiding taking care of? have you had your eyes checked recently? what about your hearing?

For your compassion how are you feeling about your fellow man? are you able to handle conflict well or are you reacting to things in a heightened emotional way? are you more anxious and feeling tired all the time? maybe your compassion needs a tune up. Doing some reading on compassion or attending some social groups or church , if you are that way inclined, will help with compassion.

Developing boundaries ,knowing when to say no and when to say yes can take some work. Seeing a counselor or reading up on what boundaries look like can help you to give yourself a healthier outlook on interactions with others and yourself.

Values are the basis of what is important to you and all of your life is built around these beliefs about what you want in your life.

Personal power; how well do you think you are doing in your life? Do you know and understand how to motivate and protect yourself? is your belief in yourself such that you know what you are capable of and can you grow that competence? Everyone can learn new things.

If you are tired and feeling overwhelmed, maybe it is time to take a hard look at how your self care is. if it does not seem like you are doing enough, maybe make some changes today.

Many blessings

Namaste’