The words self-care are designed to be super personal to you and what you need to decompress and at times feel whole. Self-care for some is a full day of beauty appointments, a drive to the middle of nowhere, getting lost in a book or making a blanket fort with a one way entry.
The purpose of self-care is to look after your emotional, mental and physical well-being. It is the act of caring for your soul both inward and outwardly. Self-care should be a restorative act and not just another list of to-do’s to complete. Matter of fact, not making a list of things to complete on your self-care day and doing what your heart directs you to do is the best approach.
Self-care is not a selfish act but the act of taking good care of your soul so you have the mental capacity to show love for others. If you consistently feel terrible about yourself, that projects onto others, BUT if you make a conscious effort to feel good inside and out, that shines on everyone also!
Things to consider when acting on your self-care day:
- Time
First, make the time. Schedule the day into your week and demand it for yourself, no matter what else is going on. It doesn’t have to be the whole day but put YOU time on the calendar and allow your family to support you in that. And, if you tell me you don’t have time for you time, I want you to consider how much time you spend on social media or laying in front of the television. Now do you have time? Oh, and your husband can put the kids to bed or get them up. He is capable and you are capable of telling him to. Also- mild tangent. Notice I said TELL him to. They are his children too. Men don’t “babysit” or “watch” their kids. They care for them. They are capable of caring for them. Anyway, you have time. MAKE TIME.
- Be Realistic
You have all of these “would be nice to do on my day” things. Be realistic about how much you are stacking into your time frame and don’t get overwhelmed with not being able to accomplish it all. Instead, pick one or a few (whatever your time allows) that you really feel your souls searching for. Jot the others on a list to keep your self-care days going.
- Start Small
If Yoga is on your list or any kind of activity you’ve never done before but want to give it a try, don’t pressure yourself into committing to a whole session if you aren’t ready for it. It is perfectly acceptable to go and check out new things and leave in the middle. Give yourself that permission. After all, you are new at this whole thing and it can be quite alarming and overwhelming if you’re showing up all willy nilly to something brand new.
- Check In
It is always a good practice to check in after you have completed your self-care hour or day and see what you liked and didn’t like. After all, you don’t want to keep going out and doing activities because you feel obligated. That isn’t the purpose here. If it didn’t serve you, choose something else to try and see if that suits you better.
Friends, taking care of your soul inside and out is SO IMPORTANT to starting a journey of healing if you are not already on one. It is really the beginning to loving who you are and what you are capable of. What can you do this week to care for your soul?
all things kal 
Leave a comment