I end nearly every one of my sessions by saying “take care of yourself!” I imagine that most clients hear this as a friendly farewell rather than the thought out instructions that I intend them to be.
Self-care is a critical, foundational part of the healing journey.
Social media has made it so that when most people think of self-care they think of things like bubble baths and manicures. I’m not here to discredit these things as forms of self-care. However, this depiction of self-care is missing the mark.
True self-care looks like caring for yourself as though you are a literal human being that needs tending to (because you are). True self-care shows up in the form of scheduling and attending doctors’ appointments. It can look like making sure that you eat regularly throughout the day and get an adequate amount of sleep. Self-care isn’t always as glamorous as social media likes us to think.
Here are some (potentially) unconventional ways to take care of yourself:
-
- Clean out your purse
- Do your laundry
- Do your taxes
- Color in a coloring book
- Set a reminder on your phone to take your medication
- Listen to your favorite music
- Develop a sleep schedule
- Set and enforce boundaries
- Cancel plans
- Hold yourself accountable
The list of potential self-care activities is endless. Be creative. I invite you to take a moment to reflect on what you actually need at this moment. Maybe it’s as simple as adjusting in your seat or refilling your water bottle.
I want to address something that I hear from clients all of the time: “I don’t have time for self-care.” I get it. Self-care activities take time. I believe that self-care ought to be prioritized. Sometimes this means that we have to put down a responsibility in order to attend to ourselves.
Even further though, I’ve work with a lot of parents that have shared how impossible it can feel to find even one responsibility to cut out to open up time for self care. That’s understandable. We lead busy lives. In this situation, I would encourage you to involve your kids in your self care activities. Snuggle with your baby while watching that movie you’ve always wanted to see. Listen to your favorite podcast while driving the kids to school. Go on a family hike. Invite your teenager to do an at home spa day.
Children need to learn about the importance of self-care and how to do it just as much as adults do. Modeling self-care and involving them in it is a perfect way to begin teaching these lessons.
Some people may benefit from an activity called a Self-Care Assessment, which asks you to think about how frequently, or how well, you are performing various self-care activities. This can simultaneously be a healthy reality-check and an opportunity to learn additional ways to care for yourself. Check it out if you’re interested.
