Taking care of yourself is something I’m so incredibly passionate about! It’s probably because I didn’t take care of myself for so many years. Before I had the epiphany, I didn’t eat very well, I didn’t do things to care for my mind and I definitely did a few things that were probably against my morals but did them due to peer pressure. Once I figured out that taking care of myself was super important, I started to realize it wasn’t all bubble baths and pampering. Self-care is so much more!
In this post, I’m going to give you three easy ways to take care of yourself. These are all from the course I created on self-care. In that course, I teach you these and other ways to practice self-care every day.
The first is health. Yes, it seems simple but many forget that taking care of your health is an act of self-care. We’re not always taught to do this. Some of us grow up not knowing the proper way to eat, how we should move our bodies every day and that drinking water is a blessing, not a curse. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized I needed to take care of myself because if I didn’t, no one else would. Harsh, but true. So how do you take care of yourself?
- Start by eating well. I love the 80/20 Rule because it allows for a little peace of mind. It works by having you make sure that 80% of your nutrition (food and beverages) are clean, unprocessed foods. The remaining 20% can be where the fun comes in. Now, I know it can be hard to access food and beverages that are truly “clean”. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and do your best. Let yourself have that piece of cake or glass of wine, but don’t make it a daily habit.
- You also want to aim for drinking half your body weight in ounces of water each day. This is one I struggle with and even water tracking apps on my phone haven’t really helped. It might be because I have to go to the bathroom frequently. It also might be because it feels like a tedious task to drink my water and track it. Regardless of the reason why, I know this is something I need to work on. Drinking water every day helps you have clear skin, flush out the toxins in your body and in some cases, it can even help you lose weight. When you stay hydrated, you also have less headaches, less pain in your joints and feel more clearheaded. So drink your water, people!
- Once you have these two pieces under your belt, start to incorporate moving your body every single day. The majority of news sources say to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. Most people simply cannot achieve that. Instead, shoot for 7,500 steps per day. This is definitely doable and believe it or not, you can achieve this in your day-to-day activities and with a simple walk every day. These steps help you to move your body and avoid joint pain, help your heart to pump in a healthy way and give you a good habit to strive for.
- The last piece of health I want you to think about is to have regular checkups. That means your medical doctors, like a general practitioner and your eye doctor, and your dentist. These regular appointments help you stay ahead of health issues that might arise and always be in the know of what path you’re going down. The general rule of thumb is to see your general practitioner and eye doctor every year and your dentist every six months. If you have a specialist you see, like a pulmonologist, you should see them every year too. These appointments might seem like they’re unnecessary or expensive, but I can promise you, they are worth it.
The second way you can start taking care of yourself is by creating and having some sort of routine in your day. This could be a morning or night routine or even just tasks you perform every day. I have a morning routine that simply involves getting ready for the day (i.e. washing my face, getting dressed, having breakfast, etc.) and a night routine that allows me to ease off to dreamland (i.e. stop using electronics 2hrs before bed, read my book for an hour, meditate, etc.). A routine is a way to have some sort of structure to your day and helps you create good habits. If you’re not a planner, you can still do this through Flexible Planning. That essentially is having a schedule that is flexible and allows for fluidity or changes to happen. It’s easier than you think and all you have to do to create a routine is decide what activities you’ll do every day and just start.
The last way I want you to think about self-care is my favorite and the one I think is the most important. It’s about using your voice. No, I’m not referring to speaking to people during normal conversations. I’m referring to setting boundaries and self-talk.
- When it comes to setting boundaries, you know your limits. You know the buttons that people can push that will set you off. Those boundaries are things you need to share with people. You need to tell people what your limits are and not keep them to yourself. If you don’t know what your boundaries are, pay attention to the things that make you anxious, angry or upset. Those “asks” or activities are usually where your boundaries lie. When you share these boundaries with others, they learn how far they can go and let’s you have a safe space.
- Self-talk is almost as important as setting boundaries. Self-talk is how you talk to yourself. Think about how you’ve talked to yourself recently. Has it been mostly positive, like compliments and congratulations? Or has it been mostly negative, like put-downs and making fun of yourself? If it’s been positive, you’re already doing great. If it’s negative, you’ve got some work to do. Every morning, try giving yourself a compliment. Tell yourself that something looks great or you’re proud of yourself because [fill in the blank]. Start by saying this statement internally, if you’re nervous, but eventually say it out loud. When you hear yourself speak this compliment, you’re going to believe it even more!
If you liked these three ways of taking care of yourself, there’s more where that came from. Check out the course in the shop. It’s $97 and you’ll have lifetime access. I even have new videos coming in late 2021 with a re-launch of the workshop. There’s a private community for all members of the workshop and once the re-launch happens, there’ll be a Self-care Sunday chat each week to talk about self-care on a deeper level. I love practicing self-care so much and that’s why it’s one of the topics I teach on regularly. If I’ve learned how to take care of myself, I know you can too.