Ahhhhh, Self-Care
Are you familiar with self-care? Is this an alien topic to
you? Or are you well invested in it? I first heard about it during my training
where we were being taught the importance for Therapists to take time to
re-cooperate their minds. Self-Care is something that we can do, on purpose, in
order to take care of our emotional, physical and mental health. For some
people that may be activities such as going for a walk, reading a book,
meditating or dancing about their living room (a personal fav of mine).
As a trainee Counsellor my self-care routine is essential
for not only my own mental health but also my relationships, my effectiveness
as a Counsellor, my normal day job and so on. Basically poor self-care
infiltrates into all aspects of my life so it’s fairly high on my priority
list. If I’ve taken a couple of weeks off I’m noticeably grumpier, snappy,
tired and usually it makes my anxiety worse.
My self-care routine usually revolves around anything beauty
related. That may be new makeup that I can have some time to be creative with,
new body products to drench myself in or a warm bath with spa music playing in
the background. I like to create a little sanctuary in my own home and let go
of all my worries. I get to combine two
of my passions together – self-care and beauty. I will post some photos below of my "me time" this week which was using the Lee Stafford Chopstick wand which gave me BIG hair, which I loved and me playing with the BH Cosmetics Carli Bybel Deluxe Edition Palette.
This week however, my self-care planned was knocked off
course due to an unbelievably seized wheel (if anyone has experienced this
before, you’ll know how frustrating it is). Luckily, with the help of a lovely
local mechanic the wheel was forced off and I was able to get back to concentrating
on me.
The main point I am trying to make is whatever calms you, do
it more! Make it a priority and set aside time for it even if life throws a
curve ball that sets your anxiety off (the seized wheel in my case). If you
aren’t sure what calms you spend some time with yourself to think of times you’ve
felt happy, what were you doing during that time? Those are the activities that
you enjoy most, the ones that just pop into your head when you ask yourself
that question.
If your answer is something that isn’t easily accessible for
you, is there a way you can make that easier for yourself? For example, if you
love going to see bands live but that can’t always be done every single Friday,
maybe consider putting aside time to just listen to your favourite bands in
your house and sing your lungs out. That is the beauty of self-care, you can
literally tailor it to whatever it is that floats your boat. Remember that
self-care is about loving yourself, allowing yourself some healing time, giving
yourself acknowledgement that you’re a human being who needs breaks and giving
yourself permission to have that time.
So set yourself a challenge to put some time aside over the
next week for some self-care and pay attention to how you feel before, during
and after it. I myself will continue to play with my make-up (it is truly my
happy place after a counselling room) and give myself a little mani/pedi. I will also set myself the challenge of spending more outside and making it a priority of mine.
Side note – You don’t need to be a therapist for self-care
to be important. It is important for everyone, no one is immune from Mental
Health issues. I am yet to meet a single person who wouldn’t benefit from
giving themselves an hour a week to do whatever it is that sets their soul on
fire.
ugh I hate those danged seized wheels. I suppose it gives us a little time to reflect on the entire operation while we fix that seized wheel. I'm always forced to slow down whether I want to or not!
ReplyDeleteThey're so frustrating aren't they?! Funny how that works out isn't it? Something's trying to tell you to slow down lol :) Thanks for reading and commenting, I really appreciate it <3 xx
Delete