Caring for Yourself
Currently, I know so many of us feel like we’re stuck in a hamster wheel where days are rolling one into the next. Sometimes those days are filled with sadness, grief, loss, or struggle just to get through to the next, while other days are filled with hope, sunshine, happiness, and possibility. I believe we’re being presented with new opportunities to be creative in the ways we connect, care, and collaborate with one another that we might have been missing out on in the busy flow of earlier days.
Today I wish to remind, encourage, and hopefully inspire you to make time each day to take care of you. Caring for yourself could mean something as short as five minutes if that’s what you feel you need that day. Other days, time spent caring for yourself may be longer and should be if you need it. In these times of unknown, it’s important not to lose track of ourselves and what we truly need.
Are you in need of self care today? Try any of these activities:
Physical Health – Shower daily, (even if you’re not leaving the house), drink Plenty of water, (at least half your weight in ounces), take stretching breaks at least every 2 hours, (even if it’s only for a few seconds), turn up your favorite music and move your body for five minutes or longer!
Spiritual Health – Enjoy early, quiet mornings by yourself, pray, complete a devotional, keep a gratitude journal, mindfully breathe, focus on trusting that God’s plan is intentional even if you don’t yet understand the “Why” of His ways.
Emotional Health – Journal about your experiences, rest and relax, allow yourself to feel all of your feelings with no judgement, cry, laugh, celebrate and connect with others, lean on those in your life who uplift you, declutter your home, get organized.
Mental Health – Make lists of the things you can control, read a bit each day and challenge your mind, learn something new, teach someone something, write a kind note to someone, (or even yourself!), learn things at your own speed without pressure.
Relationship Health – Take breaks away from those you live with and reconnect with those you are missing, intentionally outline time for sharing space and time for separate space, be patient with yourself and others.
Financial Health – Create a new budget with your partner and examine what extra expenses you can live without, buy food in bulk to create/freeze meals for the days you don’t feel like cooking, ask yourself when making purchases, “Is this something I need or something I want?” or complete a Dave Ramsey course online to help you make steps toward your financial goals.
We may not be able to control all aspects of our lives right now, but there are still plenty of things we can control. Part of the control we still have is taking care of ourselves, which seems to be more important now than ever.
If you, like me, are hoping to find solace in something, I welcome you to find it in the thought, “We’re truly all in this together, we’re on the same playing field.” Though many in the world are divided about so many things, and as tragic as this virus is, I see it bringing people together who may have thought before that their differences were just too far apart. However, at the end of the day, we’re all the same, doing our best and wanting what is best for everyone.
I encourage you to make time for yourself this week and take the space you need. I also encourage you to offer extra kindness to others whether it be through a smile, a kind word, or a quick written note. Keep being the best version of yourself that you can and don’t lose sight of the care and compassion that yourself and those around you need.
What does living your exceptional life look like to you?
What’s one thing you did to care for yourself today? Was it enough?
How are you supporting others around you? What’s been the most effective strategy?
What’s your favorite way to care for yourself? What emotion(s) does it make you feel?