Your (Realistic) Guide to Self-Care

Every day, we’re expected to take care of others. At work, at home, in our friend groups – we listen, we support each other, we go out of our way to help. And most of the time, it’s nice. People want to take care of the people they care about.

But that can take its toll.

And let’s be honest, taking time to nourish and care for yourself when life gets hectic is rarely modeled or supported. As a result, engaging in self-care can often sit at the end of your to-do list, rather than being made a priority.

To start, you have to understand what self-care truly is.

Self-care refers to the ability to refill and refuel yourself in healthy ways, including behaviors that foster physical and emotional well-being and that lessen the amount of stress and anxiety you experience in your everyday life.

The term self-care refers not only to engaging in various practices, but also being caring toward yourself. It can look different for everyone. For some, it’s taking a relaxing bath. For others, it’s deep cleaning the house so that you’re in a clean environment or going on a long walk with your dog. So long as these things are done with the intention of caring for yourself, they count as self-care.

Meditating or writing in a journal can be amazing forms of self-care, but some are stressed at the thought of sitting in silence or picking up a pen, and that’s okay. Self-care is whatever you want it to be, and nothing else.

It involves self-reflection, awareness and action in terms of knowing your needs and making a conscious effort to improve your health and well-being. Your self-care routine doesn’t just affect your personal life. It has an impact on your work as well.

When you feel physically and emotionally well, it’s often easier to navigate stressors in healthy and productive ways. Self-care is associated with lower levels of stress in workers and higher levels of work performance. In fact, experienced professionals refer to self-care as a key aspect of professional well-being and prioritize self-care to protect what they consider to be their most important asset – themselves.

When you don’t refuel yourself in healthy ways, the effect of emotional, mental, and physical stress often leads to burnout. This can threaten your work and your relationships.

Luckily, self-care doesn’t have to be a big to-do. We’re here to show you how.

Our new self-care series will show you how to create a routine that will positively impact every aspect of your life.

Join us today!