Self-care is NOT selfish!
December 10th, 2015
The holiday season can be a busy and chaotic time of year so it’s extra important that you make time to nurture your needs and treat yourself with kindness. I want to bust the myth that self-care is selfish because this belief couldn’t be further from the truth! Self–care is one of the easiest things to do; yet we experience resistance to doing it because of this destructive and guilt-inducing thought.
If you don’t take care of yourself first, you won’t have the energy or desire to take care of anyone else either. Have you ever listened to an airplane safety video? You know how they tell you to put on your OWN oxygen mask first before helping anyone else? It’s the same concept. You come first and regular acts of self–care will benefit both you and your loved ones.
Regular acts of self–care will help you avoid feeling depleted and resentful, end the year strong, and show up for all the holiday festivities as your best and brightest self. You don’t want to be scowling in the corner like the Grinch at your next holiday party, do you?
We all have busy lives, I get it. It’s easy to let the day fly by responding to emails, cooking or helping the kids with their homework! Before you know it the day is over and you collapse into bed without even having a minute to yourself.
So how do you develop a self-care routine? Self-care is about paying attention to your needs and acting on them. It’s about being kind to yourself and doing what feels good to you. For some people, it could be a daily meditation practice and for others it could be watching their favorite sitcom. Some people need quiet time to read and reflect while others need stimulating conversation. Honor what feels good to you. There is no right or wrong when it comes to self-care!
One of my daily self-care practices is writing in my journal and it has become such a routine that I really miss it on days it doesn’t happen (those days are rare). I journal every morning while drinking tea and have been doing this consistently for the past 2 years but it didn’t start that way. In the beginning it was much more sporadic and I’m sharing that to show you that it may take time to find and develop a routine that works for you. They say it takes roughly 21 days to develop a new habit, so be patient with yourself.
Your needs and self–care activities may also vary on different days of the week. Self–care shouldn’t feel like a chore or one more thing to pile on your “to-do” list, it’s meant to help you recharge and feel great.
Self–care can happen any time too and can be combined with other activities. For example, I look forward to my drives to and from work. Yes, I have a fairly short commute but even when I had a longer commute I chose to use the time in a productive way by listening to inspiring podcasts. Sometimes I even drive in silence, let my mind wander and often get my best ideas while driving!
I put together this list of self–care activities that will hopefully inspire you with some new activities or remind you of ones you enjoy, but haven’t done in a while:
- Journal
- Color!
- Go for a walk or run
- Stretching
- Deep breathing
- Meditate
- Connect with friends
- Read something uplifting or inspirational
- Listen to a motivating podcast
- Get a massage
- Take a bath
- Cuddle with a pet
- Dance
- Listen to music
- Take a nap
- Watch a movie
- Garden
- Visit a museum or art gallery
- Make a gratitude list
This holiday season, make yourself a priority and find time for self-care.
Comment below if you found this helpful and if you want even more tips for self-care, I’d love for you to join The Gorgeous Glow Group!