The dreaded word: self- care

A little while back, my blog friend Stephany blogged about her self care routines.

Self care is an important topic (I know too many people who tend to put everyone else’s well being first – me included – before they take care of their own needs), but I’ve been trying to get better at this.

Self care is also a very subjective thing, because balancing your physical, emotional, or mental health looks different for everyone. What might be relaxing and calming to one person, might not be to the next. Some people need a lot of self-care time, some not so much.

But I dare you to think about what you do – or should be doing! – to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself, that you’re getting enough rest and relaxation, and that you’re recharging your batteries properly, so to speak.

Because here is one important lesson for us selfless, nurturing individuals. When it comes down to the wire, if we don’t take care ourselves, we’re not of any help to anyone else.

Here are some of my favorite self-care practices (and nothing that has to be time consuming or elaborate in any way). Self-care is about the little things that you can do for yourself on a given day or once in a while.

+ Going for a run – yes, often my training runs are not proclaimed as self care per se (because after all, I am training for something and to be honest,I don’t always feel like running), but if I know one thing, it’s that runs are good for my physical and emotional health. And I definitely had a lot of runs in the past where I started out frustrated as hell, but felt the frustration disappearing with every step my shoes hit the ground. Physical activity is one of the best forms of self care I can think of.

+ Sleeping in – I try to have at least one day over the weekend where I don’t set an alarm and just wake up naturally when my body feels rested. I know for most adults – especially if you have kids – that is a total indulgence that doesn’t happen very often. I try to truly appreciate the fact that I can have a day of sleeping in most weekends.

+ A freshly brewed cup of tea (or coffee) – it’s a tiny little ritual that on any given day will give me a short break and time to re-focus. 

+ Naps – I don’t take naps nearly as much as I’d like to, because I usually feel like I should be doing something else, something more productive with my time, but every once in a while, when there really is nothing else to do, I allow myself a nap and it’s usually glorious.

+ Knitting/Crafting – I love the repetitive motion of knitting WHILE producing something. That’s a perfect self care routine for me, because I generally feel better if my leisure time still makes me feel like I accomplished something.

+ Reading – I used to be that kid that was constantly lugging books around and I still find books to be a great escape from the every day.

+ Long phone calls with family and friends. – Since I can’t see my family and friends as often as I would like to, I often take time on the weekends and have long phone calls to catch up. It’s not the same as hanging out with them, but it’s the closest thing to hanging out with them that I have. 

+ Girl time. It’s just so refreshing to have one-on-one time with a girlfriend and I try to make that happen regularly, even if regularly means only every few months.

Most of my self care routines are solo activities, because I’m mostly an introvert and crave alone time (my twin sister, funnily enough, seems to be the exact opposite), but I also really enjoy quality time with good friends. There is hardly anything better than the comfort of talking to someone who knows you well, bouncing off thoughts or ideas. 

What are your favorite self-care routines? Do you always fit them into your busy schedules?