This year has been anything but normal.
There have been so many moments that I’ve wondered “How do I take care of myself right now?” and “What does it mean to practice self-care in a season of chaos?”
As the uncertainty continues, our need to intentionally care for ourselves becomes more important than ever before. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been in conversations with people, work colleagues, friends, and family, who say:
I’m just so tired.
I feel burnt out.
What are some ideas for self-care?
That’s what I’m here to talk to you about. I want to give you tangible ways to practice self-care during the week.
I think it wasn’t until college that I realized what self-care was and how to practice it. For a lot of people, the concept of self-care might sound selfish.
Let me assure you that self-care is not selfish.
For some, self-care might mean getting a mani-pedi, for others it’s having dedicated time during the week to enjoy a hobby. Whatever it is, the point of practicing self-care is to fill yourself up again. The best way to contribute to the world is to be whole, and by loving yourself, you are filling your tank to be able to give back to the world.
If you think about it, you need to practice self-care to be more selfless.
If you’ve felt like you haven’t had time to be selfless, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’ve given yourself time to stop. To pause. To breathe.
I’m guessing you’re here because you, like a lot of us, want some ideas for how to implement self-care into your life. So, without further adieu, here are 5 self-care ideas for you.
5 Ways to Practice Self-Care
1. Eat regular meals
I think for a lot of us, when chaotic and stressful times come, it’s so easy to forget to eat or to push it off until later. The problem with this is that we either eat too late and then replace a meal with too many snacks, or we skip meals altogether and don’t eat breakfast until 3pm. Food is incredibly nourishing for your body and you deserve to have meal breaks. Not just because it’s a “nice thing to do” but because you literally need food to survive. So make sure you eat!
2. Limit screens for the first and last hour of the day
I know, it sounds crazy, but part of self-care is putting up boundaries around who can contact you and when. Give yourself time to wake up in the morning, enjoy your coffee and some silence. And in the evening, read a book or work on a passion project. So many of us have to be on screens all day for work, so do your best to give your brain a break from all of that stimulation and blue light.
3. Write in a journal
This is something I have had to work at the last few years. I used to love writing in a journal in high school and college. When I got married and my husband and I faced a lot of external ups and downs, journaling became hard for me. It’s like I didn’t want to remember the pain that I desperately needed to process. But that’s the catch-journaling helps us to process our feelings, good and bad. So whether you write in a journal once a week or once a month, make some time to jot down some of your thoughts.
4. Exercise
This seemed obvious, but it’s too important not to include. Not only is exercise good for your body, but it’s a natural way to release tension and produce endorphins. If you have pent up anger or feel down and depressed, moving your body can actually help you to re-center for a little bit. As hard as it might be to get off the couch, exercise can be anything from taking a walk to dancing to a favorite playlist on Spotify. The important thing is to get yourself moving!
5. Drink water during the day
This goes right along with eating, and again it seems like something we all naturally do. I don’t know about you, but when I am stressed I can get headaches. It’s often the headache that makes me think “Have I had any water today?” and usually the answer is, no I haven’t had enough. So how about trying to drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday (or you can get one of those cool water bottles that has time increments on it to remind you to drink water). Having enough water during the day will help you see improvement in your mind, your focus, and your energy.
These are just a five of numerous possibilities for self-care, but they are definitely some important and grounding things to remember. Though I like to practice self-care year-round, I think the times I need it most are the seasons of stress and sadness, and it’s usually the basics that go off our radar first, isn’t it?
So, if you haven’t been feeling yourself lately, try some of these self-care ideas and see if they work for you.
Leave me a comment and let me know your favorite way to practice self-care!
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