Self care shouldn’t be a one time deal. It should become a habit like brushing your teeth every morning or making your bed before you leave the house. When talking about self care a lot of people and myself thought about just taking a bath or working out but there’s so much more than that. It’s different categories; Physical, Emotional, Intellectual and Sensory we should focus on. At times it's easy to put a face mask on and call it a self care day but what about your mind or your body?
Physical Self Care- Acting on physical self care is taking care of our only home we have, our body. We grew up with it and we will rest with it. How dare we burn it to the ground instead of watering it everyday with love and gratitude. You don’t need to beat yourself up and workout for an hour you shouldn’t feel obligated to do it. Do something you enjoy for example, you can stretch/yoga , walk to the nearest store, climb up the stairs 4 times just to get your blood flowing. It’s important to think about the future when it comes to our body. It’s a blessing to have what God has given us so let's nourish and appreciate it.
Emotional Self Care- Emotional self care is being aware of our emotions daily. Learning how to recognize what we are feeling and why? Also, how to deal with them as well, being mindful about what makes us happy or what triggers us. Finding ways to understand ourselves instead of brushing it to the side because we think we are just being crazy. It’s okay to feel different ways throughout the day, embrace those feeling. Helps you be more compassionate with yourself and your emotions. Ways to help with emotional self care can take 5 minutes out of your day. After the day has settled you can write in your journal it can open your eyes on how we are feeling. It’s a great habit and easy. Meditating can help us also live in the present and be more alert of how we want to feel. You can also be creative by cooking, painting, doing your makeup or just simply doing something you enjoy. Let your creativity run wild.
Intellectual Self Care- Now a days television is part of a everyday thing and often I realize it's doing nothing for my mind. Intellectual self care is challenging our minds. Of course something you enjoy as well whether its from reading a book to watching a documentary of a topic that interests you. Challenge your mind to learn something new everyday. It can be a word you never used before or a fact about anything. Practice it to increase your knowledge. Unplug yourself from your phone\laptop. The whole point is for us to connect our mind to the world outside technology for a bit. Be bright, Shine bright!
Sensory Self Care- Sensory self care is admiring your senses, sight, smell, touch, and sound. We aren’t aware of how often we use them since we are busy during the day. But can you use them in a mindful way and enjoy it? Uh yes! Just like emotional self care is living in the moment. May help cope with soothing a stressful overwhelming mind and body. Lighting your favorite candle can create comfort also listening to your favourite song or just listening to the sound of the rain falling. Enjoying the moment you use your senses and acknowledging them is a form of meditating as well. I like to go outside in the morning and inhale the clean fresh air, listening to the birds running wild while the wind hits my face and watching the clouds move left to right in seconds.
Any of those self care ideas should be part of your life. It can be and it will be a path of a happy life with yourself and your surroundings. Don’t rush on doing it all at once, it takes patience and love within. Make it in a self care mode like a video game. Self care isn’t just taking care of yourself. It's deeper if you open up. Two things you are in total control in your life are your attitude and your effort. Take your power back!
Nathaly Soria (Barbie's world) @barbiee__doll