Self-care. We may hear this term a lot. “Make sure you are taking care of yourself.” “How have you been sleeping?” Our lives can get very busy at times and it may seem that we are taking care of everything in our day that needs to get done along with the people in our lives that we need to care for, but we neglect ourselves. Practicing self-care is not selfish. We are not able to care for others effectively if we ourselves are run down. Now you may be thinking I don’t have time for self-care; I don’t have time in my day to do anything else. However, you cannot afford to not have time for self-care. We can end up breaking down, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally when we are not taking time out to care for ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially. 

So where do we start, how do we create a self-care plan?

• Physically we can eat healthy, drink plenty of water, take medications, get a good night’s rest, exercise, and practice breathing/mindfulness exercises. Emotionally, take the occasional break, write in a journal, help others.
• Psychologically you can talk to a therapist, educate yourself, practice gratitude, learn something new, practice positive thinking, and be creative.
• Socially there are hobbies, spending time with friends/loved ones, reaching out to family members, friends, and community groups. Developing a self-care plan can be simpler than you think. Create a list of resources you can utilize when you need to take a break. List people out who you can count on to regularly give you support. List ways you can get some exercise into your day or develop a plan to start or continue hobbies you enjoy doing. Think of ways you can improve your sleep habits.

Stay with it 

All of these are great ways to get started on developing your own self care plan. Motivation plays a key role in us sticking with something new like a care plan. Listing out internal and external motivational factors may make it easier to stick to your self-care plan. Some motivations might be you want to be a better you, you want to be present for you kids when you are with them, you want to be present at your job when it’s time to perform, or you want to live a healthy life. Make a plan, build in support, and stick with it. You won’t regret putting effort into caring for yourself!