Self-Care

　

Many of us exceed in taking care of others, however we struggle to take care of ourselves. This mostly happens to be the case for women with children. You might wonder why self-care is so important when there is an abundance of daily tasks and others to attend to. Based on my experience and what I have witnessed others experiencing from lack of self care, it is crucial that you do attend to your daily needs.

When I first started learning to prioritize my own needs, I realized that I really did not know what it meant to take care of myself. So what I did was make a note of all the things I did for others to ensure they were healthy, happy and ready for life. Then I incorporated some of the things I did for them and began to do them for myself. The following are a few examples of what I do in order to practice self-care.

　

Take Care Of Your Body

The first thing to do in order to have the health and energy for your life is to take care of your body. Feed it nutritious foods and exercise it most days of the week. You do not have to be ridiculously strict nor do you necessarily have to do any streneous exercises. Just keep it simple. Easy does it. What I do when I do not feel like exercising is go for a walk for at least thirty minutes. I come back recharged, energized and in a great mood. When I do not take my walk I feel more tired during the day and I am not so happy. On the days I feel that I have too much to do and want to just skip it, I remind myself that walking not only ensures that my body remains healthy, but it also elevates my mood which helps me deal with daily challenges in a better way.

Get enough sleep and rest. Doing this is so much more healthier for your body than filling yourself up with caffeine or an energy drink in order to make it through the day. I understand that there are days when no matter what you do, you just can't get to bed on time. But as a general rule you should get to bed at a decent hour or work on arranging your schedule so that you can eventually get to that point. Also, if your schedule permits, take a nap during the day. I know this is not always possible, if ever. But see if you can work something out. There have been a couple times I had to postpone a few things in order to take a short nap because I was too exhausted to even get basic stuff done which did not require much brain work, much less was I able to do the things that did.

　

Love Your Body As Is

Most of us have some problem area in our body and no matter what we do it stays the same. Love your problem area(s) anyway. Love everything about your body as is. For whatever reason, you were given the body that you have. Know that it is perfect for what you are meant to achieve and learn in this lifetime. Be grateful for the years it has hung in there when you were not so nice to it and sometimes even abused it.

　

Self- Esteem

Practice building up your self-esteem. We all have a critical voice, but high esteemers notice it, thank it for sharing and replace the judgemental thought with a more positive one. People with low self-esteem have gotten so use to having a critical voice that they do not even notice it anymore. Some people have a very mean and abusive critical voice. I just cringe when I hear them talking negatively about themselves. I wonder what they tell themselves in private. The critical voice was developed as a child. It is the voice of your primary caretakers, family, peers, teachers, media, culture and society.You must know that the critical voice only has false things to say. The truth is that you are a magnificent being and the warped perceptions of others has made you believe otherwise.


Look For Your Tribe

It is part of self-care to look for your tribe. To find those like minded people who you enjoy spending time with. We all have some family members or other relationsips in which we spend time with out of obligation not because we want to. Finding people who are more like you and who have similar interests makes life more fun, fulfilling and meaningful, but also your tribe is a huge support when you are going through a challenging situation. Practicing good self-care means staying away from people who deplete you or you just don't like spending time with for whatever reason. It also means looking for those people who nourish, encourage, support, motivate and make you feel good about you.

If you would like a free coaching session please contact me at carbajalzulma@gmail.com.