THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF CARE

I am a huge advocate for self care, in both my online life and in my professional life. It’s something I aim to address for myself and others, who may be suffering from a mental health difficulty in particular, however, regardless practicing self care is equally as important even if your mental health is okay. 

When I talk about self care or self soothing  I don’t mean *making sure you took a wash* of course that is important, and if you are not doing that, it should be addressed. What I really mean though is taking time for yourself. 

We live in a society where everything is such a fast paced environment, we have the pressure of just trying to live our life along with the pressures of social media endorsements, it can leave us feeling utterly exhausted. I know I often feel drained by trying to have a relationship, friendships, keep a house going, working full time, keeping up with social media. Even writing that list makes me feel overwhelmed, so chances are people aren’t taking time for themselves, because they feel they have so much to do. 

Do you find yourself saying “I just don’t have time” , “ I had to work late” , “i’ve not done anything to deserve a treat” ?

Well take a step back for a moment, and lets put things into perspective a little bit here. We as humans have this wonderful nature of caring for others, telling others they are doing well, but do we ever pat ourselves on the back, or take a 5 minute break? Probably not, I see it and hear it all the time in my professional life, which is why I feel so passionate about encouraging people to self soothe, because it can work wonders for your mental health. 

Doing something to self soothe does not need to involve money, going to spas or weekend trips away, no honey I’m talking little daily changes. Everyone is individual and what you enjoy, may not be an enjoyment for others, but I have come up with a small list which you can take some inspiration from.

SELF CARE IDEAS 

go for a walk 

take a bath 

paint your nails 

draw 

write in a journal 

light a candle

take some time (it could be 1 hour) office away from social media 

read that book you’ve been meaning to read 

buy a bunch of flowers for yourself 

meditate / do some yoga - you don’t have to be good

put on your favourite music album 

call a friend or family member 

laugh - force it out - trust me if you are having a bad day do this, it really works

Its not an extensive list, but it’s a start and hopefully it has got you thinking on some things you can easily do to be kind to yourself. 

Life is busy, unfortunately that is the way society is, but we can care for ourselves and find time to do these little things, the small things can make such a difference to our mental health and wellbeing. We often take ourselves for granted and don’t allow ourselves time to be kind, yet we all deserve it, no matter who you are in the world you deserve to be kind to yourself and allow yourself to self soothe. 

I challenge you to try at least one self soothing thing per day, and see if you notice a difference.