Practicing Self Care
You might have been told at one point that you should take care of yourself. Usually by someone who “probably” needs more self care, themselves.
The reality is, lots of people neglect their personal well being, and the consequences affect their health, performance, social relationships, and careers.
It sounds so easy..”take care of yourself.” How does one do that?
Self care comes up in all kinds of circles nowadays, and there are different types. Spending time on each one will yield the best long term benefits.
The six types of self care are:
Emotional: Therapy, Journaling, Art, Music
Practical: Budgeting, Professional Development, Organization
Physical: Exercise, Sleep, Hydration
Mental: Reading, Learning a new skill, Engaging the brain
Social: Spend time with people, have a social outlet outside your day to day
Spiritual: Meditation or self reflection, yoga, time in nature, worship
Many people will spend lots of time and energy on one or two areas of self care. Which of these do you excel at? Which ones do you neglect?
A challenge for you is to choose the area you neglect the most, and schedule time during your day or week to devote to it. It can be as simple as reading a single page per day, or as difficult as enrolling in a class to learn another language. Like a good WOD, you can scale the challenge so you can build this into your life slowly so that it will stick.
Take note of any changes you notice around you, they can be profound.