What Exactly is Self Care?

When I think about ways to take care of myself I find that I quickly become overwhelmed with all the options there are in which to do so. Does self care include our basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, love and belonging? Does it mean doing things for our self that are indulgent and extravagant? Or can it simply be recognizing and holding our boundaries with others? The internet is overflowing with wonderful and creative ideas of to care for your “self”, from the radical self care approach to the simple 5-minutes-a-day approach.
When I started to learn more about the actual meaning behind “self-care”, I realized that it is a relatively vague term that means different things to different people. I think that figuring out how to nurture ourselves might begin with figuring out what brings us peace, joy, contentment – things that help us to get in touch with our inner self and put aside all the outside noises of life.
Perhaps the first step to self-care, is taking a minute to assess what activities make us feel closer to our authentic self. For some, it might be spa treatments, massages and pampering activities, for others it might be time in nature, journaling or meditation, and yet for others it might be singing, dancing or going for a run.
The idea of “taking care of your Self” could also be interpreted as getting in touch with your authenticity. Finding a space where you can completely and un-ashamedly be yourself. For many of us, it may initially be a private space, so that we don’t feel judged or self conscious of our selves. And that is a wonderful place to start. Because the more we spend time with our “Self”, and intentionally get to know who we are, the more we can start nurturing the parts that need more love and embracing the parts we adore.
It is during these moments that we can see our selves more clearly and the parts that we struggle with can then be acknowledged and taken care of more purposefully.
So, I ask you, what are some of the things that you do that make you feel comfortably yourself? What are the things that make you feel you can breath deeper, feel a bit more settled in your body, make you smile from the inside?
Wether you have a list of one thing or ten things, I would encourage you to engage in those activities regularly – once a day, once a week, once a month – whatever you can fit in and works for your life at this time. Put it in your calendar and honour that time for caring for your Self. You are worth the time, and not only will you benefit from feeling more grounded in who you are, everyone around you will benefit from being around someone who is more centered – and perhaps we can move towards being our whole, authentic selves more of the time, where self-care becomes just a reflection of your life.

Feel free to email me with any questions, corrections or comments 🙂

Yours In Health,
Kirsten