In the field of holistic health, there is a LOT of talk these days about self-care. We hear it everywhere and no one really knows what it means. Well, the truth is, everyone has their own definition of self- care. The point of self-care is to make sure that in this crazy, busy, stressful, overstimulating world we live in, we take the time to do some things that are self focused to re-charge our drive for life itself. Feeling like you’re stuck in the hamster wheel of life is a pretty big clue that self-care can be a game changer for you.

If you feel like you need self-care all the time just to make life bearable, you might want to look deeper. Self-care should feel like an ice cream sandwich. It should be something that you get to enjoy every once in a while that helps to put the cherry on top of life instead of a letting a little slice of sunshine in to keep you going. When you feel good about your job and valued in it, when you feel supported in relationships with friends and loved ones, and when your home life and finances seem stable, it’s pretty easy to find small moments during the day to feel slices of sunshine. Self-care, in this situation, is not really necessary but is that ice-cream sandwich of indulgence that makes you feel like royalty… and who doesn’t want to feel like royalty every once in a while?

If you are feeling pretty stuck in life, self-care is necessary in my opinion. Taking time to honor yourself and to do things by yourself to reconnect to your inner essence is crucial in improving your headspace. Once you headspace starts to improve through dedicated self-care, it’s possible that your outlook on your life situation can shift. Then possibilities of real changes in your life are endless.  You may stay at the same job but find a way to shift your mind space to appreciate what you have, or you might change careers entirely. You may feel more confident in standing up for your beliefs in your interactions with others and that may lead to you feeling more appreciated in the relationships you have or end up introducing you to an entire new group of friends that are totally in line with your beliefs. When all these things shift, you might look back in a year and notice that your life has entirely changed and that your self care has shifted from a slice of light in your daily life to your self care feeling like the cherry on top of a pretty awesome existence. I know this sounds like an ideal, but this ideal is possible and is why so many health coaches are jacked on self-care right now.

If you’re still wondering what self-care is, it really can be anything that gives you time for you. Typically practitioners recommend these self-care activities are solo activities- friend free, kid free, partner free. This can be hard for some people who like the comfort of having a pal, but doing it solo gives it an added dynamic and really allows you to tap into yourself. You do need to choose something that sounds pleasurable to you. For some people it’s a pedicure or a facial. For others it may be a float. An easy option can just be a bath in salts with a face mask. Self care could also be a regular yoga class, barre class, fitness class or dance class. An easier option could just be a walk or hike. You could go to a build a terrarium workshop or a mala workshop as part of your self care activities and the list goes on.

So take some time to brainstorm things you love to do and things you’d love to try that you haven’t been doing. Now look at your schedule and find one day in the next 2 weeks to fit it in and then keep it going. Make it a pattern, make it a habit and stick to it. Chances are with a little bit of self-care life will seem a lot a bit better 🙂

Now it’s my turn (sometimes we are the worst at taking our own advice!)
Jayleen