The Truth About Self-Care

The Truth About Self-Care

I want to start this article off by having you close your eyes for a moment and think about what self-care means to you.

You may think of bubble baths, a glass of wine, a decadent piece of chocolate, or buying that beautiful bag that caught your eye in the window of Saks Fifth Avenue.

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong partaking in any of these pleasures.

However, these experiences are not self-care.

Self-care has garnered this reputation as being a luxurious experience.

But more often than not, it’s a “tough love” experience.

For starters, let’s break apart the components of the term “self-care”:

Self. Care.

To care for the self.

Now, consider all the experiences you thought of when you closed your eyes and thought about what self-care means to you.

Are you caring for your self in those experiences?

Let’s talk the truth about self-care.

Self-Care Myths

Many people associate self-care with indulging.

Indulging on luxury items. Food. Wine. Dessert. Social Media. Netflix. Etc.

Giving into temptation. Playing hooky. Doing what feels good in the moment. Going out on Friday night to drink a bad week away. Avoiding hard things.

But you aren’t truly caring for your self in any of these activities.

In my last article, I talked about increasing your value and things that contribute to decreasing your value, and most of the above experiences fall into that category.

And speaking of increasing your value, let’s talk about how you can practice real self-care.

How You Can Practice Self-Care

Create a Morning Routine

I highly recommend this over anything else.

About two years ago, I started a morning routine.

Since it was brand new to me, I would set my timer for 20 minutes.

During this 20-minute time period, I would review my goals in my goals planner. Reviewing your goals daily dramatically increases your chance at achieving them because you’re keeping your goals at the forefront of your mind, so you’re much more likely to actively work toward achieving them.

So many people “set goals” haphazardly on January 1st and don’t actually write them down or review them, and nothing is achieved.

The other problem I see with goal-setting is people never audit, or adjust, their goals as ideas and plans may change.

A few months ago I would review my goals and felt a little out of touch with some of my longer-term goals, so I audited them to reflect where I was right now. This is another reason it’s imperative to review your goals daily.

Also during this block of time, I journal. This is a great self-care practice to do any time of day. Journaling allows you to get your thoughts down on paper, process thoughts and feelings, and stimulates new ideas.

I also read from a daily devotional. The devotional I’m currently reading as I type this article is this one by Joyce Meyer. I swear by devotionals and read the day’s entry prior to journaling, as the devotional of the day often triggers new thoughts and ideas worth collecting.

And last but not least, I review my schedule for the day.

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Intentionally Plan Your Life and Stick to It

Self-care is intentionally planning your life and following through with what you say you’re going to do.

It’s crazy how many of us will follow through on our promises to other people, but not to ourselves.

I know as women, we are expected to put others before ourselves. But we need to take care of us, too!

If you don’t already have a paper planner or digital calendar, you definitely want to start using one.

I still love my paper planner, but many people use Google Calendar. Use what works best for you.

Don’t look at filling out your planner or calendar as scheduling mindless to-do’s, but filling it with the results you’re going to get.

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Take Care of Your Health

A lot of people associate wine, chocolate, and indulging in your favorite treat as self-care.

But when it comes to your health, taking care of your body and being mindful of what you put into it is self-care.

Self-care for your body looks like choosing a healthy snack over the cookies.

It looks like getting up when your alarm goes off to work out, even though everything in you just wants to hit “snooze.”

Scheduling yearly checkups with your doctor.

You should have self-care built-in to your daily routine and it should not be something you do just on occasion.

A great example of this is exercise.

The human body needs frequent exercise to stay in shape and mentally sharp. I have exercise built into my schedule 5 days a week, and even on my “off days” I still go for walks and rack up 10,000 steps a day.

Also, make it a habit to eat nutritious foods daily. When I still worked in an office, I would prep my lunches over the weekend. I’d make salad and healthy sandwiches, and I’d keep healthy snacks like pumpkin seeds in my desk drawer.

Not only did I eat well during office hours, I saved money by not eating out.

With so many people working from home now, there’s no excuse to not have nutritious meals and snacks handy.

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How to Make Exercise A Habit in 6 Steps

De-Clutter & Get Organized

Your mind created everything you see in your living space.

If your home is clean and clutter-free, your mind will also be clutter-free.

But if you’re staring off to the left at a pileup of items taking up space, those items are also taking up space in your mind.

Take the time to de-clutter and organize your whole house.

Start with one room at a time.

Go through every drawer and cabinet.

Sort items into three piles: donate, sell, or throw away.

Getting rid of clutter not only frees up space in your home, but in your mind, too.

Remember: you created the living space you’re in now. If you aren’t happy with what you see, de-cluttering and getting organized is a great place to start.

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Consume High Quality Content

Self-care involves taking care of your brain and stretching your thinking.

Consuming high-quality content, such as reading non-fiction books, listening to podcasts, or getting life coaching, is great for this.

Of course, not all books are created equal, so if you need a list of non-fiction books that will grow and stretch you, check out some of my favorite personal development reads here.

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