Self-Care: Your Best Investment!
Why Is Self-Care So Important?
Happy Thursday, Golden Divas!
As you may know, so much has been going on lately, from Covid numbers creeping back up to the numerous shootings (some racially driven) worldwide, in churches, grocery stores, and schools. To, gas prices reaching a new high and a maniac robbing people with a machete on Chicago’s Northwest side. It’s enough to throw your hands up and ask whether the world has gone completely mad? And the answer might be ‘YES!’ Amid all the chaos, we tend to forget to take care of ourselves daily as we watch how it plays out on the news. So, divas, that is why Club Fifty is talking about self-care this week! We as women take care of everyone except ourselves; there’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish to ensure we are up to par to continue functioning in our daily lives.
C50 gets it, ‘LIFE HAPPENS,’ and to enjoy what sanity we still have left, we have to do better when it comes
to ensuring our personal needs are met. Just the past week, I talked to some beautiful ladies who are always holding it down, making things happen (for other people). I suggested they take some time out for themselves; each has a lot on their plate, from caring for and providing for their family and friends, working their businesses, and raising their grandchildren.
They never miss a beat in getting the job done; however, I never hear that they are taking care of themselves. Seriously, ladies, we have to do better. Let’s take time out of our forever busy schedules to enjoy ourselves. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not talking about flying off to take a trip; that is great too. However, let’s work on getting emotionally and physically better before a trip!
Check out these articles I read that will help you on your self-care journey!
What Is Self-Care, and Why Is It Critical for Your Well-Being?
Several organizations and researchers take a health-oriented approach when defining self-care. The World Health Organization defines self-care as: “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.”
According to this definition, self-care includes everything related to staying physically healthy — including hygiene, nutrition, and seeking medical care when needed. It’s all the steps an individual can take to manage stressors in his or her life and take care of his or her health and well-being.
Some researchers have adopted a similar clinical approach. A 2010 study published in the JBI Library of Systematic Reviews defined self-care as “the set of activities in which one engages throughout life daily,” focusing on promoting health, preventing illness, and managing issues.
A study published in BMC Palliative Care in April 2018 defined self-care as “the self-initiated behavior that people choose to incorporate to promote good health and general well-being.” The study authors added that it’s about being healthy and incorporating coping strategies to deal with work stressors.
In 2019 researchers published a self-care framework in The BMJ to point out that in addition to self-care being the activities individuals do on their own to promote physical and emotional health, it also includes how individuals interact with clinicians and healthcare systems to tend to physical and emotional health. That means self-care includes getting a vaccine, scheduling cancer screenings, or taking prescription medications on schedule — but healthcare providers and organizations also play a
role in how well individuals engage in these self-care practices. In other words: There are a lot of people and factors that bear on any one individual’s ability to engage in self-care.
As self-care has become more mainstream, the definitions have become more applicable to the general public and tend to focus on tuning in to one’s needs and meeting those needs. “Self-care is anything you do for yourself that feels nourishing,” says Marni Amsellem, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist based in Trumbull, Connecticut.
“That can be something that’s relaxing or calming, or it can be something that is intellectual or spiritual or physical or practical or something you need to get done,” she says.
The International Self-Care Foundation also includes health literacy as a pillar of self-care, meaning that any steps you take toward better understanding health information you need to make appropriate decisions about your health and well-being counts as self-care.
This is why at Everyday Health, self-care is all the steps you take to tend to your physical and emotional health in the ways you are best able to do so.
TIPS FOR SELF-CARE
Diet
A healthy, well-balanced diet of proteins, vegetables, fruit, grains, and a minimum of fats and sugars is important. We can educate ourselves on what comprises a healthy diet and information from our physician, the American Heart Association, or other health groups. Knowing that too much sugar depletes us and discovering which foods energize us is useful.
Exercise
Regular exercise like walking, running, swimming, bicycling, tennis, racquetball, and so on is recommended at least three times a week. Daily exercise from twenty minutes to two hours can increase energy and a sense of well-being if you are under stress. This can make a particular difference after a loss, trauma, or stress.
Rest
In contrast to activity, we may also need rest. Those who tend to drive themselves particularly hard may recover best with rest periods, lying down, and taking it easy sometime during the day. Cat naps, reading breaks, or closing our eyes for fifteen minutes can be rejuvenating. Both rest and sleep can regenerate us.
Meditation
This is another form of rest or rejuvenation. Taking twenty minutes to go inward one to three times a day can be healing. There are many techniques and books on meditation. One simple form of meditating is to sit with eyes closed, listening to classical music.
People support
The support of a friend, colleague, therapist, counselor, teacher, minister, or rabbi can be valuable nourishment. We benefit when we can talk intimately, clear up feelings and reactions, be understood or have a witness to our experience, and be encouraged to move forward. Family may worry too much, get involved in our problems, or be unavailable, so someone outside our regular life can be very supportive in regaining balance.
Nourishment
Activities that nurture our bodies, like massages, hot baths, sun baths, or whatever personally appeals to us, are particularly supportive. This kind of nourishment is not related to eating and food. Many of us habitually deny our needs, so we may have to dig deep to discover what would nourish us.
Time alone
At times it may be beneficial to take time to be alone to do nothing, look at the scenery, read, daydream, watch television, and rest. How much time alone each of us needs may vary. Taking time for oneself can be a way for spirituality and creativity to emerge during or after the time spent alone.
Time off
This means time away from the usual routine, like vacations or days away from home. If vacations are not feasible, consider driving or walking in the country or any environment different from your usual.
Play
Playing one hour a day can be regenerating. Many of us have lost the idea of play while growing into adulthood. We may need to look at what play would involve for us now. Games, sports, shopping, or crossword puzzles are a few examples of what we might enjoy.
Exercise Responsibility For Your Well-Being
After reading the above steps regarding self-care, list specific steps that would benefit you. What relaxes you? What delights you? What engages you? What is fun for you? Write these answers down for further use, carry them in your daily calendar, or post them on your mirror or refrigerator.
Golden Divas, let’s reset our minds and bodies so we can continue to soar to the best of our ability!
Source:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/self-care/
https://www.taps.org/articles/17-3/selfcare/?gclid=CjwKCAjwtIaVBhBkEiwAsr7-c8g7ty4ZzCSYbpY0NKhD8bfqKoCGBp7zZf_epLO6LllXbyAXNo5PjxoCmMwQAvD_BwE