Self-care for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

I’ve been in the Natural Therapy industry for a while now, and what I see more and more is a change in people’s attitude and the realisation of the importance of self-care.  They are realising that massage, reiki or any other natural therapies are no longer about “pampering” ourselves or a luxury. It’s a form of self-care. It’s one thing they can do to help themselves manage and better their own wellbeing.  Of course, I see plenty of clients who need massage or reiki for chronic pain problems. I also see those, who incorporate massage as part of their monthly, bi-monthly or even weekly self-care routine.

Self-care isn’t just about natural therapies, it is about looking after our overall wellbeing.

Here’s my question to you. How is your self-care at the moment? Are you making time or do you even factor in self-care into your daily routines or week?

What is self-care?

Self-care
/sɛlfˈkɛː/ Noun

• The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health.
• The practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.
  Google Dictionary

Why is self care important?  

Self-care is important for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It is important to nurture these aspects of ourselves and life in order to build a healthy relationship with ourselves and those around us.

As Maria Baratta (Ph.D., L.C.S.W) explained in Psychology Today “Self-care, in essence, is the mindful taking time to pay attention to you, not in a narcissistic way, but in a way that ensures that you are being cared for by you.”  “Self-care goes a long way in managing stress and living your best life.” https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/skinny-revisited/201805/self-care-101

Self-care tips

There are many ways we can actively invite self-care into our life.  
Here are some of the self-care tips I follow in my life.

Get good quality sleep. I know for a fact, I don’t operate at my full potential with little sleep.  I try to get at least 8 hours a night. When I put my alarm on and the little note comes up saying, the alarm will activate in 8hrs and 22mins I get excited! So much sleep ahead of me!  I do try to go to bed the same time every night. If there are times when I feel my brain is too active I’ll use some essential oils, do some reading, or journalling which helps if I have worries or a problem on my mind, or practise some breathing meditations to relax my mind and body.

Eat a nutritious, balanced diet. YES!!  There is so much information and research coming out linking food and nutrition with diseases, gut health and illness.  

“A balanced diet is important because your organs and tissues need proper nutrition to work effectively. Without good nutrition, your body is more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and poor performance.”

 https://www.healthline.com/health/balanced-diet#importance

Drink plenty of water. That might seem like a rather dull act of self-care but I will say this.  Our body is made up of over 70% water. Water hydrates our muscles and lubricates our joints. Water helps our organs (especially our bowels) to function properly. Water prevents headaches, flushes out toxins, boost the immune system (true story: I was sick with the flu and pretty much flushed it out of me, just by drinking lots of water).

Meditate.  Oh yes! Meditation. I meditate because my mind can get busy and overactive.  I use meditation to ground myself and to get me out of my head. It helps me to think clearly, be rational, stop dramatising and to re-connect to my emotional, spiritual and physical body.  

FUN. There was one stage in my adult life when I realised I wasn’t doing things that were ‘fun’.  I lived between work and home and didn’t do much in between. When I saw that I was missing “fun” in my life, I realised that it was the important thing I needed to do for my own happiness and wellbeing.  Dancing has been the biggest part of my life and it is the one thing that brings me “fun”. Fun helps reduce stress, balance our hormone levels, brings social interaction & connection to others and makes us feel energetic and youthful.

Get a massage & explore the benefits of different natural therapies. Well, yes, of course, I am going to mention this one.  I regularly get my own massages and reiki healings. Not just to keep my body in check, but also it helps me to relax and I enjoy it.  I often get a relaxation massage instead of a deep tissue or remedial, because I know it is sometimes just about resting and relaxing my mind and body.

It’s never too late to start focusing on your own self-care.

Are you Creating Balance in your life through self-care?

  Take some time out to think about what areas of your life could do with a little more focus on self-care and start making changes.

Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear about what your self-care activities are.