Improve Your Life and Relationships Through Self-Care Practices
We are all experiencing a shift in our well-being as the seasons change, getting closer to the holiday season, and prolonged stress of the pandemic. Self-care can help with that and more. Self-care has become such a buzzword in our society. Self-care is not all bubble baths, massages, candles, or take-out food. It is also not an act of selfishness. Instead, it is an excellent way of taking care of yourself and your needs to have a balanced life.
Working Hard to Earn Rest
Who has heard the messaging we have to work hard to earn our rest? I know I did early on in my professional life, and it comes up a lot with my clients. We live in a society that promotes hard work as currency and connects our worthiness from how much we produce or how much money we make. The messaging says if we chose to rest or care over our productivity, we are lacking worth. I am sorry to say this is just not true. We all deserve care and rest. I understand we all have different life circumstances which means some may have to work more than others, yet we all would benefit from setting up a time for ourselves and doing something beyond work. I would ask you to hold both that we need rest and work in our lives.
What is Self-Care
Self-care can be a great way to give ourselves the rest we deserve. Self-care is taking intentional time and actions to meet our individual emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs. Self-care is more than doing basic things we need to do to function as humans such as food and rest, but holding both self-compassion and accountability to yourself. Research shows it is an excellent way to boost your mood and decrease anxiety. The best thing you can do for your relationships is to take care of yourself. The people in our life can not always be there for you or meet all your needs, yet you can be there to do that for yourself.
5 Ways to Care for Self to Improve Your Relationships
Setting up a self-care practice is not a one-size-fits-all. As you give yourself space and start setting up activities and practices start thinking about what are your individual emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs? What activities or rituals can help them be met? How can I make space (small or big) to help your needs be met? Once you start this exploration and take action, and you will start seeing these five improvements for yourself and your relationships:
Reduce Stress Levels- We live in a fast pace and stressful world. Self-care has proven to lower our stress levels. When we are less stressed we are able to be more patient, generous, and understanding with those around us. It has a great trickle-down effect when we take care of ourselves.
Increase Self-Awareness - When we take time to be with ourselves it can be transformative. It is okay to slow down and check in with yourself. Self-care is an excellent tool for understanding your own thoughts, feelings, and actions. With that deeper understanding and awareness, it can be shared or help in your relationships with other people.
Model to Others How to Care for You- There is something magical when we learn how to take care of ourselves. It can also be a great model and teaching tool in how other’s can care for us. Everyone likes being needed or connecting with others, and self-care is a great way to open up that opportunity.
The Power of “No”- Please do not get me wrong there is a lot of power in saying yes. Television producer, Shonda Rhimes, wrote a whole book on her year of saying yes, yet it’s okay to say no. A lot of times we say yes because we are prioritizing others over ourselves. A small yet powerful word like no, can help you prioritize you so later you can prioritize someone or something else.
Set Healthy Boundaries - Setting boundaries is an important part of being your authentic self and is a critical part of mental health and well-being. Setting healthy boundaries allows you to show compassion and kindness to yourself, as well as, others. Moreover, helped with avoiding burnout, increase autonomy, and good emotional health.
Ultimately, it is hard to show up for others if you are not showing up for yourself. By making time for self-care it can increase the possibility for there to be more nourishment and connection to our relationships. Also, notice the added benefits to your mood and overall enjoyment of daily life. Find a creative way to rest and express yourself, now and forever.
DISCLAIMER: This blog is a blog written and edited by Allison Bozovsky, LMFT. As the owner of this blog, this is a tool to share my own thoughts, feelings, and expertise on social sciences for informational purposes only. The information is no reflection of my current employer. It is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or therapeutic services.