Self-Care

Every second that makes you feel better is worth spending.

Hello!

For my first blog, I wanted to begin with discussing self-care and informing you all about this topic.

My take on this?

Self-care is what you make of it.

Many individuals have multiple of ideas when it comes to focusing on their personal self. Some might want to stay home, and binge watch Netflix shows, or others may want to go on a run. There are various amounts of things one can do on their self-care day.

Self-care days can be taken whenever you want or are able to do so! Whether it be every day, every week, or every month, whenever you feel like you want a self-care day, I say go for it!

At times it is often forgotten that this day is all about you. When I emphasize this, I mean to adress that my self-care day may not be what you would find interesting to do on your day and that is perfectly okay. Everyone is different, so don't go forcing yourself to follow Kim Kardashians self-care day if you don't feel comfortable with it!

When you take the time out of your personal schedule to focus on yourself, it means focus on your own needs and wants. If you feel like going to Dunkin Donuts and getting an iced French vanilla coffee I say go for it with no hesistation!

Below I have provided a picture from AANMC showing multiple ways one can have a self-care day! Like I said before, it varies, and it is entirely up to you. Feel free to give this BINGO a shot and make your own!

Image by JoAnn Yanez via AANMC

We are often so concerned about everything going on in our lives that we forget to focus on the simple care that we can take for ourselves. This tends to be a bad habit for many of us and is not good for your mental health. At this point many of you can agree with me, however to the few that may be confused keep reading along!

According to Shainna Ali, a mental health clinician, in her article “Why Your Self-Care Isn’t Working” she states not focusing on self-care can lead to increases in:

-Anxiety

-Anger

-Fatigue

You can also experience decreases in:

-Self esteem

-Empathy

-Compassion

While these are just a few affects of not focusing on your own self-care they can be very impactful towards your health. An increase or decrease in what was stated above can truly mess an individual’s mind and cause one to lose focus, dedication and much more. That being said, it is very important to take the time for yourself when you feel you need it the most. If possible attempt to incorporate it everyday, the more the better!

If you need more tips or advice on self-care, feel free to contact me!

References:

Ali, S. (2019, January 6). Why Your Self-Care Isn’t Working. Five reasons why your good intentions are falling flat. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-mentality/201901/why-your-self-care-isn-t-working