Why Everyone Should Develop a Self-Care Practice
Your self-care is hands down THE MOST IMPORTANT responsibility you have. Period.
I’m pretty much coming out of the gate with guns blazing in that statement, aren’t I? It’s with a lot of love of course, and it’s indicative of just how much I mean it.
BUT STEFF… REALLY?
Whenever I discuss this topic with people (especially women), I never fail to be met with eye rolls and smirks. “Steff, you want me to make time for what? When? How? I barely have time to do my hair or sit down to eat dinner.”
I get it. I’ve been there. When your to-do list is a mile long, something has to fall off the list, and typically it comes from the list of your own needs.
I know first-hand that developing and sticking to a self-care practice is THE hardest thing to do when we consider ALL of the things we need to do in a day.
Humor me for a second.
When it comes to your car, your home, your family and friends, don’t you make sure they all have what they need to function optimally? You put gas in your car every week, get the oil changed, and rotate the tires (eventually… if you’re like me, it’s WAY past the date the sticker on your windshield says…) You call the maintenance company when your drain is clogged. You lend an ear, do errands or make meals for family and friends in need.
And if you have children, fur babies, or are a caregiver for someone, I’d bet you continue blazing through the day doing all kinds of things for all the people. The list of ongoing maintenance you schedule (and the goodness you give the world!) goes on and on. And on. Each and every day. For each and everyone of you.
Why do you take such great care of the people and things in your life? So that they all run optimally and don’t break (duh!)
So I have to ask, when you look at it this way…
Don’t you deserve the same care and kindness?
I’m sure you have special people in your world who take fantastic care of you. That’s amazing! But friends, YOU also must take care of YOU. Because that’s how you show yourself love. That’s how you show yourself how amazing you think you are. That’s how you show yourself how worthy you feel you are.
Self-care is the ultimate practice of self-love. It is nurturing, it is generous, it is supportive. Taking time to do any of these self-care practices each day is paramount to your system running optimally and your soul thriving. Here are a few to consider:
Sleep for 8-10 hours per night
Eat nutritious and nourishing meals
Drink plenty of water
Exercise (bonus points if it’s fun!!)
Enjoy a hobby
Take some quiet time for yourself
Have a face-to-face conversation (Facetime counts!) with someone you love
Once you start committing to self-care, those goals you’re striving to achieve, and those people who need you, will get the very best version of you as you strike out on your day. Self-care is THE MOST IMPORTANT care. And you deserve it.