Simple Ways to Practice Whole Body Self Care

My Self Care Go-To’s:

When someone asks me if I am practicing self care. My answer is always, absolutely! That question has always seemed to be asking, are you doing masks, getting massages, or getting my nails done, and self care is so much more than that.

That may or may not have been obvious to you, but I was definitely ignorant to the meaning behind the term. Self Care has been thrown around a lot in the last year with all of the mental health issues bubbling to the surface. If you are like me, this has caused me to take a harder look at the term to make sure I am the best version of myself.

With that in mind I decided I needed to take some time for “self care.” I purchased my normal masks, did my nails, started taking more baths with bubbles and did all of my normal things. 

I didn’t quite feel like that was enough even though it is definitely a part of the “self care” process. The fulfillment and restfulness I normally feel with those activities wasn’t there. Maybe because my new normal needed a different type of self care?

I started going through the motions with my best friend google. The question asked was, “what is self care and how do I get more of it?”. In the research I realized it’s not just physical, but also emotional, intellectual, and social. With this new realization, or A-Ha moment, it was obvious a couple of my buckets were not filled as high as they could or should be. There needed to be some time spent trying to feel more balanced in my new covid and family normal.

Some of the activities can overlap into other buckets, but here are some easy actions we can do to increase overall wellness with self care or self love.

Physical Self Care:

• Commit to one form of moving my body daily 
• Two snacks a day and make them either a fruit or a vegetable
• Drink 16 oz. of water with each meal. 
• Gardening

Emotional Self Care:

• Make a list of things I need to accomplish on notes that I can check off daily to manage stress. 
• Take a time-out bath 3 times a week. 

Intellectual Self Care:

Social Self Care:

• Once a month video chat or make plans with a friend. 
• Talk to a friend on the phone at least once a week to catch-up. 
• Plan a “date night” once a month. 

There is no need to do “all the things” above. I believe implementing one or two slowly and making them a part of your routine can make a big difference in your overall well being. Make sure you pick an area where you feel like “your bucket” may be low. 

Just like you can’t be all things to all people, you shouldn’t over extend yourself in self care either. That could very easily make the process stressful, and in the spirit of self care, completely defeat the purpose. 

I am still a huge believer in taking the baths, getting your nails and hair done, masking, and all the things that make me physically feel good about myself, but hopefully we can all agree the other areas need some love too.