This article was provided by MINES affiliate Trainer Laura Greco

Self-care is an important part of living well; it is how we replenish, restore, and revitalize ourselves. Self-care is holistic, benefiting your physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being.

Self-care is so much more than manicures and bubble baths. It extends beyond pampering and includes setting boundaries, decreasing people pleasing, lessening your need for control, increasing curiosity, boosting courage, managing stress, maintaining healthy relationships, hobbies, assertive communication, social connections, as well as eating, exercising, and sleeping appropriately. Self-care includes not just things that are done to you or for you but how you ARE, how you think, live, talk to yourself, and interact with the world.

While self-care is about you, it is not self-indulgent, selfish, frivolous, or a sign of weakness. Self-care is preventative maintenance. Regular self-care allows for a better quality of life, more hope, optimism, and energy. We can better balance our lives and manage our stress.

Without self-care, we become depleted. We lack energy, compassion, patience, focus, hope, and motivation. Feeling irritable, angry, empty, off balance, exhausted, and overwhelmed are clues that you need to take better care of yourself.

We know our cars won’t run on empty, yet we keep trying to function on empty. Caring for yourself is what refills your tank; it refuels you, nourishing your body, mind, and soul. Self-care prevents you from feeling depleted.

Imagine a gardener watering plants with a watering can. As long as water is flowing, the gardener is helping, nurturing, and supporting the plants. If the watering can is empty, they are going through the motions, wishful watering, wasting their time.

Now imagine you are the gardener watering (nurturing or caring for) yourself, your family, career, and friends. What happens when you feel empty, depleted, and drained with nothing left to give? You, too, are simply going through the motions, not giving your best.

Self-care is about refilling YOUR watering can.  It is very individualized because each of us is unique. Some of us may benefit more from getting a good night’s sleep, while others need time to get lost in a novel, play the guitar, walk in the woods, or gather with friends.

We neglect self-care for a variety of reasons, usually related to lack of time management and prioritization, not believing we are worth it, misinterpreting it as being self-indulgent, and not knowing what rejuvenates us.

Self-care is a skill and an art that is rarely overtly taught or even discussed, which makes prioritizing and learning it difficult for many. We can read about it, model it from others, and practice it. Below are a few tips for getting better at it.

  • Ease into effective self-care by examining your beliefs.
  • Shift your mindset to accept the importance of self-care. When you are depleted, you have nothing left to give. You owe it to yourself and everyone to be replenished.
  • Recognize your options; there are many ways to provide self-care. Think of all the things that bring you joy, excitement, contentment, satisfaction, a sense of peace, and calm. Identify quick, small, free activities: sitting quietly outside for 5 minutes, singing along with your favorite song, doodling, time with your pet, a nap, a nutritious meal… Also plan ahead for things that take more time or money: a round of golf, a hike in the woods, a massage, an evening with friends, learning a new language …
  • Start small.
  • Personalize your self-care.
  • Learn to delegate or say no to protect self-care time.
  • Treat yourself with kindness and compassion as you practice the art of self-care.

Self-care is not an indulgence but an important part of well-being. How can you refill your watering can?

To Your Wellbeing,

The MINES Team

 

About the author:

Laura Greco helps professionals create life balance and joy through coaching and speaking. After practicing nursing for 20+ years, she shifted to coaching and guides people through simple changes, allowing them to live with more purpose and less stress.

When not speaking, coaching, or writing, you can often find her in her garden or playing pickleball.

Laura’s books include Wellness Made Simple and Wellness Made Simple for Residents. Her website is www.youbloomwellness.com.