Confession: I do not carve out time for self care

Yes. You read that title correctly. I do not carve out time for self care in my daily routine.

Within my different platforms for the last 10+ years I have shared the importance of self-care and taking care of ourselves. With all of that I want to publicly declare that I do not carve out time for self-care and cringe when I hear those words.

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Why?

Because I make it a priority so that it does not get delegated down. At this point in life self-care for me is on auto-pilot. It has not always been like that but because I have made it a priority it has become a habit – like brushing my teeth, getting dressed each day and eating. All of those things are necessary and needed for me to be my best self. Self-care definitely deserves to be in that category!

Self care isn’t always pretty and fun

We’ve all seen the articles on simple self care activities, easy self care, free self care, self care ideas from A-Z. All of those articles and ideas are great, necessary and needed. Today I want to talk about a different side of self-care that we all need to make sure we’re putting in place. These self-care practices may not be as simple to incorporate in your daily routines, but they are necessary to ensure that you are truly caring for your whole self and the daily pampering and focus on yourself can truly have a lasting impact.

4 Self Care Activities to Add to Your Routine

I was recently asked to share “unconventional” ways to incorporate self-care into our daily routines. These four things immediately came to mind:

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1 – Address and heal your hurts. This doesn’t always have to be a deep and intense process. Acknowledging your internal and external messages, wounds and intensity sends a message to all areas of your life.

2 – Identify and remove toxic relationships and practices. Point blank. Period. Whether it’s a friendship that has run its course or an unhealthy habit like smoking – it’s time to cut them out of your life for your overall health and wellness.

3 – Know your triggers. We all have those things that bring anxiety or chaos to our emotional well-being. For example, I know that stress brings on migraines for me. If I ignore the stressor, rather than dealing with it and removing it – I will often end up with a migraine that takes me out for 2-3 days. That is no fun at all. By recognizing the signs of stress and the uneasy feelings my body gives me when I am experiencing it, I am able to incorporate healthier habits to manage my emotions.

4 – Identify habits that leave you energized and content. This is my favorite one. Know what brings you joy. What the things you do that make you happy? What could you do all day if possible? Determine what those things are and make more time for them in your life.

“If you do not have the capacity to care for yourself
there is no way you can care for others.”
– Melissa Perez, child welfare worker speaking on the importance of self-care in her life

Each of these things on their own are important and essential to our well-being. When combined and prioritized on a regular basis they will impact and shift your life in ways that you could not imagine.