A Healthy You Is Important
This winter has been a time of illness for many families. There are many families I know who have been hit by the flu. Schools have even closed for several days because so many students and staff were ill. Parents are called upon to care for their children, when they do become ill, and now have a new worry, the coronavirus. We make sure the house is sanitized and that we teach our children to always wash their hands. All of this can be very stressful so, what about you? Are you taking care of yourself? I don’t mean just physically but mentally as well, as our mental well being has a lot to do with our physical well being.
Although I began this blog to inspire others to lead a healthy lifestyle, Chris’s Inspirations has a lot more to offer. Living a healthy lifestyle is not just about eating right and getting plenty of movement each day. It is so much more. Part of a healthy lifestyle is also taking time for you. I am talking about self-care. I define self-care as actively doing things that improve your well-being and happiness. Whether you are male, female, young adult, middle age or a senior, self-care is vital to a quality life. Too often, we overlook a person’s emotional and spiritual well-being and focus just on the eating and movement part. Taking care of the emotional side of you helps you live a healthier life as well. Self-care is a way to enhance your well-being. It can reduce your stress and relax you so that you can improve your entire quality of life. Self-care is especially important this time of year when people are stressed out because of family illness. Taking care of others takes a toll on the caregiver.
I have spent the past 17 months working on my physical well-being. I eat healthy foods, workout every day and try to get 8 hours of sleep each night. I make sure I get my flu shot and have been fortunate I have been very healthy this winter. I have also given effort to improve my mind. I have a new mindset when it comes to my relationship with food and I am including self-help books in my daily reading. In my “new me” journey, I have discovered how important it is to feed spiritual me as it is to feed the physical me. That is why I practice self-care.
Self-care is unique to each of us. My needs are probably different from yours. However, it is important to schedule regular self-care time and activities as often as possible. I try to do it daily. I have many routines I personally use to practice self-care. To start with, I make sure I set aside time each day as ME time. I aim for 30-40 minutes each day. My 30-40 minutes does not have to happen within the same time slot. I can break it down to 15-20 minute periods. To maintain my new lifestyle, I have divided my “down time” into three categories. I see my personal self-care as what I do for my health-BODY, how I think-MIND and how I feel-SOUL.
For my body it may be as simple as a 15-20 minute walk in the woods or it could be a 20-minute yoga session in the morning. I try to feed my mind as well as my body. During this time, I may simply relax with a hot cup of tea and a good book. On the other hand, I may use the time to relax in my rocker (yes, I have a rocking chair. I love them) and meditate. My ME time may also be used for my soul by listening to some music, writing in my journal or one of my favorite hobbies such as scrapbooking or sewing. The important thing is I take the time for ME.
Remembering fun times 
Special cards for special people 
Ready to create
I have been known to incorporate all three into my morning workout routine. I take my yoga mat to one of our back bedrooms that I use for working out. I put on some calming music (SOUL) and meditate (MIND) throughout my yoga (BODY) workout.
There are certain self-care activities that I cannot do each day. They are something I do only once a week or even once a month. I have a nutrition and fitness coach that I work with every few months. It is on-line, so works well where we live. Every few months I organize lunch with a friend. It is usually someone I have not seen for some time and it is fun taking the time just for the two of us. It feeds both of our souls as we catch up over coffee or a healthy meal. I am currently in a book club discussing a self-help book we are reading. This book is available in hard cover, paperback and Kindle from http://www.amazon.com.
Self-care does not have to be complicated. You do not have to go out and buy a lot of equipment or fix special meals. All you have to do is take the time for you each day. Remember, taking care of yourself not only helps you and makes you feel better; it also improves the quality of life for all those around you. By taking care of you, you are ready to give your best to family and friends.
Interested in learning more about self-care? Visit http://www.theblissfulmind.com for more insight and many resources. I am currently reading a book I found there titled, Nourish: Mind, Body & Soul that is feeding my whole self and such an inspiration.
What do you do to practice self-care?
As always, “Don’t Save Today for Tomorrow”
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Great ideas!! Thanks for sharing. So important during a time like this.
These are such great ideas. It is important that we all take care of ourselves.
Cannot wait to check out that book!
People forget that they can’t pour from an empty vessel. Self is super important to all involved.
learning to love yourself through self-care is important on so many levels & is something that i institute daily through yoga, exercise, & overall healthy living.
I love this. Such an important thing to incorporate into your daily life. It always surprises me when people resist or restrict this from their lives.
The battery cartoon is awesome and makes such a statement for those that read and don’t really understand, especially in this time of unknowns.
These are great tips! I know many people don’t even know what to do for their self care. I don’t get tine every day like I should but I definitely try to set aside some time a few times a week. It can be hard to slow down sometimes. 😊
Self care is more important now – hope people can start to reconnect and reflect with themselves during this social distancing time!
I am a big believer in self-care. I run, scrapbook and read as part of my self care.
I love reading for self care! I need to do it so bad right now… but first gotta get stuff done 😂 I need to take me time this week for real though.
You’re setting a good example of self-care. Thank you for sharing a peak into your life.
Gratitude is the attitude
Self care is so important- I need to remember to practice it more often!
I wish more people would practice self care. Keep spreading the word!
Totally needed to hear this right now. Meditation is the best way to keep sane.
Self care is so important. Thanks for sharing. I love how you incorporate all three (yoga, meditate and music).
I need to manage my health conditions, otherwise, it’s not possible to do much.
I haven’t heard of that book Gratitude works. I love these types of book. Self care is uber important. I 100% agree.
I love your message and positivity. Thanks!
Thanks for the reminder to take care of ourselves! I have been having a relaxing weekend at home, and it’s made a huge difference for this teacher. Tomorrow I have to go in and figure out how to teach online high school. These tips will be handy in the upcoming weeks!
This is so important! I wish more people would/could take the time for self care.
I’m terrible about self care and learned the hard way I have to do better. I wound up with pneumonia last month and two broken ribs because I was putting myself last for too long.
I like how you break self care into little chunks throughout the day! So important.
Gratitude is such an important tool to keep a great attitude. Thanks for the tips!
This is so important and will be harder to accomplish with everyone stuck at home more. Carving out time to yourself in and around your home may be more challenging but possibly even more important.
Great post! I try to make self-care a priority, but sometimes it can be hard so I make sue to schedule it on my calendar!
I bet that’s a great book you are reading with your book club!
Getting to bed early and getting up early works well for our family. My husband goes out to milk the cows and I exercise, read in my Bible, and then work on my blog, all before our little children wake up and need attention. 🙂
i admit that I have not been practicing self-care as much as I should so thank you for the reminder!
lovely. I’m a big fan of being grateful. I truly believe it is the single most transformative thing anyone can do.