Self-Care Without the Guilt!

 "Why should I take care of myself? I thought I was supposed to put everyone else's needs first. And isn't self-care selfish?"

Self-care is an often misunderstood concept. Taking care of yourself does not mean neglecting everyone else in your life. And BIG NEWS-self-care has nothing to do with being selfish or a "bad" person. Self-care is as essential to life as breathing.

Before I continue, let me clarify how I define self-care. Self-care involves addressing your own basic needs, such as food, water, shelter, sleep, money to live on, etc. It also involves addressing some of your higher needs such as health, love, sense of belonging, etc. Self-care even involves addressing your wants and passions, including hobbies and the activities that make your heart sing and truly bring you joy. It means being nice to yourself. Treating yourself with love and respect. For some people-particularly those in caregiving roles or with demanding schedules-finding 15 minutes a day of peace and quiet ocean front to themselves is a loving act of self-care.

Simply stated, self-care involves whatever it takes to make you feel energized, happy, balanced and at ease in this world. For me, self-care involves getting a really good night's rest...Eating nutritious, energizing foods...Getting in some movement, because my body loves to move....Filling my life with positive people....Having time daily for spirituality...Having fun by dancing, listening to great music, hiking in the mountains, being in the beauty of nature...It also means thinking positive thoughts and talking kindly to myself...which also means that when my inner critic shows up, I get to gently tell her she has the rest of the day off...

Whatever self-care means to you, it is IMPORTANT. Not just important, but VITAL. Vital to your well-being, your enjoyment of life, and your SURVIVAL! If you do not take care of yourself, you will not survive. If you do not feed yourself-physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually-you will starve to death. Lack of self-care leads to a great deal of stress for our minds, bodies and spirits. And unfortunately, a majority of chronic and acute illnesses are linked to high levels of stress. In some ways, neglecting your own self-care is like slowly-or even quickly-ending your life.