The Importance of Self-Care

It’s almost three years and counting since our world completely changed.  We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we must continue (or start) taking care of ourselves. 

 What is self-care, and why is it important?  If we don't take care of ourselves, we will not be able to take care of anyone else, and while we suffer, so will the ones around us. Self-care is doing what is good for us: eating well, exercising, getting a good night's sleep, going out into nature, possibly meditating and taking care of our own health needs; making our doctor visits as scheduled, keeping up with any immunizations, going to the dentist and seeing our health care provider if we become ill.  For those of us who have been working remotely, our work-life balance has most likely been affected. And not in a good way.  Our computers are always on, we get emails at all hours and feel compelled to answer them, and since we are not commuting, we tend to sit at our desks more and snack during the day.   

 So how do we start self-care?  We begin by making a list (or lists) of what is vital in our lives: work, exercise, family, and friends.  For each one, write down activities associated with them. For example, work--keep track of how many hours you work vs. daydreaming or walking into the kitchen and rustling through the pantry.  Do you find that you start work earlier now that you work from home but are less efficient?  Try taking breaks every 30 minutes, get up and stretch, walk around the block, or walk in your house.  Sit in a chair and practice your breathing.  Make sure you take a lunch break, walk away from the computer and your phone, and disconnect.   

Exercise--taking care of your body (I once heard a commercial that said if we took as much care of our bodies as we do our cars, they would last a lot longer and give us less aggravation.) We need to be sure that we exercise; you don't need to belong to a fancy gym or have expensive equipment.  Try walking 30-40 minutes a few times a week.  And if necessary, break it up with a short walk in the morning and evening.

Family and friend time-- are you carving enough time out of your busy schedule to connect with family and friends? Do you spend enough quality time with them? There is an old saying: “no one ever lies on their deathbed wishing they had worked more.”  Self-care is vital to a happy life. By taking better care of ourselves, we achieve a balance that results in a more joyful life for us and those around us.