God forbid this should ever happen, but what would you do if you were traveling in a plane with a child and the oxygen masks dropped down in front of you?
After years of hearing the flight attendants’ admonitions, I would hope you would strap one onto your head first and then proceed to help the child you’re with.
It’s very difficult to be present for others, caring, giving, supporting, or providing for them in any way, if you are not cared for yourself.
In our society self-sacrifice is often admired and people who do so are revered. Self-care on the other hand seems to be perceived as selfish or self-indulgent and the idea is frowned on. Self-care is not self-indulgent it’s essential for survival.
Self-care is not about self-indulgence, it is about self-preservation.”
Audre Lord
One way of looking at self care is like a wheel with four equal parts. They are: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual. If you were to print out the image below and fill it out rating each area of you life I can imagine if one area was an eight or a nine and then another one was a two or a three this would make for an uneven wheel and a “bumpy ride”.
Take a moment to think about these areas in your life and grade your level satisfaction in each of these four areas of self-care on a scale from one to ten. When looking evaluating your own self care, here are some good questions to ask.
Where do I feel deprived?”
What do I need more of right now?”
What do I need less of?”
What do I want right now?”
What am I yearning for?”
Who or what is causing me to feel resentful and why?”
What am I starving for?”
Cheryl Richardson, The Art of Extreme Self-Care
[/callout] Self-care is about making sure that you are cared for and have what you need, so you can actively fulfill your own purpose in life, contribute to the lives of others, and/or positively impact world around you without burnout and stress. Here some ideas of things you can do to strengthen these four areas of your life today.1. Mental self care is about keeping your mind strong and flexible.
- Start or get back into a hobby.
- Learn a new skill, even one that is a little out of your comfort zone, to stretch your current capacity for talent.
- Read a great book, perhaps even an autobiography. It’s almost as good as having a coffee with the writer.
- Sign up for a workshop or a class that inspires or grabs your attention.
- Play board games that are mentally challenging with friends or family.
- Use affirmations or success statements to feed your subconscious mind positive images and beliefs you want to make a part of your reality. (Read Think and Grow Rich)
2. Physical self care is about taking care of your body and increasing its potential life span.
- Get enough quality sleep.
- Nourish your body with the healthful food your body needs to be healthy and strong.
- Drink enough water to stay well hydrated.
- Exercise to reduce stress and keep your body full of energy and vitality.
- Love your body – be happy about your body and appreciate your body.
3. Emotional self care values your emotions and nourishes the positive and strengthening ones.
- Open up to a friend an share your heart.
- Spend time with you partner or significant other, go out on a date.
- Say, “I love you”, “Thank you”, or “I’m proud of you” and be open about your feelings, especially the ones which will brighten up another persons’s day.
- Have a meetup with friends or work colleagues.
- Write in a journal or diary and take the time to connect with your thoughts and feelings.
- Work with a coach, counselor, therapist, friend, or professional and get help when you need it.
4. Spiritual self care is maintenance on that part of us that connects us to our higher self.
- Go for a walk in nature or sit in your garden and admire the flowers and plants.
- Practice meditation.
- Take time for reflective thinking on a daily basis. This is good for the mind but it is especially helpful in allowing your spiritual side or your subconscious to connect with you. (Read The Magic of Thinking Big)
- Sit still and listen to inspiring, uplifting, or relaxing music.
- Get involved in something creative: write, paint, or create art in some form.
- Read a spiritually insightful book.
Once you’ve taken the time to evaluate these four areas of your life, choose one thing you would like to work on. Work it into your schedule and life for 21 days in order form a new habit. Don’t try to do too much or you will get overwhelmed and discouraged. The important thing is to begin at once to take massive action in one or maybe two of these areas and start getting your personal life back into balance.
Over to you now.
What would you add to this post?
