Self-care - a solution to your Wellbeing
Self-care, the solution to your health and wellbeing.
I recently came across a quote on social media, “A smart girl knows her limits. A wise girl knows she doesn’t have any”.
Whilst I fully understand, and support, the spirit in which it was written, (to motivate, to empower and to create a positive mindset), it did prompt me to think of how often we push ourselves beyond out limits, ignoring signals from our body and the negative effects this has on our health and wellbeing. If we listen closely to our body, we will recognise the signals that we are reaching our limit; the tiredness, the fatigue, mood changes, irrational responses, lack of motivation, low immunity and even change in sleeping, eating and exercise patterns.
In 2018 the largest known study of stress levels in the UK was commissioned by The Mental Health Foundation. The results showed that “74% of people felt so stressed they have been overwhelmed and unable to cope. 32% had experienced suicidal thoughts and 16% said they self-harmed as a result of the stress.” The UK does is not alone in these numbers, across the globe we are seeing a steady increase in these staggering stress statistics.
Stress, the age-old human suffering that is affecting all people of all ages. Since stress was first recognised, we have perpetually struggled to find ways to deal with it. There are many solutions out there, yet I find one of the best ways to manage stress is through making time for self-care. Self-care is defined as “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” Mindsets around self care are changing. What was once seen as selfish is now being recognised as essential for wellbeing as more and more people reap the benefits of improved health and happiness through self-care practises. This change in mindset has been hugely boosted by healthcare professionals recognising the benefits of self-care programs and recommending them as part of the patient’s wellness regime.
Some important factors to consider when starting your selfcare program.
1. Time- An old school of thought was that self-care needed to take hours, i.e. a day at the spa. This is no longer the case. Self-care can take as little as 3 minutes a day. When I work with chronic workaholics or people pleasers, who are not able to put their needs first, I often recommend they start with just a minute to themselves and then slowly increase the time. What ever time you allocate for your self-care program will be beneficial to you. You can slowly increase your time as you go along.
2. Discipline- Our biggest consumer of time is technology. It is going to take a little discipline to put gadgets down or on silent so you can dedicate the time you created to yourself, without interruptions. If it helps, set a timer. Know that you can go back to your gadgets once the timer had gone off. Discipline helps create the new habits you are trying to achieve for yourself.
3. Keep it simple-When you investigate self-care options it can often feel like you are getting sucked down a rabbit hole. Seeing the amount of options available can often trigger a sense of overwhelm and stress, leaving people confused as to where to start, or in some cases, leaving them feeling despondent and not starting anything at all. Take time to identify some of your core values and then introduce self-care options which will support those values. For example, if learning is one of your values, then create a block of time, even if it’s only 10 minutes a day, to read or listen to books/blogs/audios which support this.
4. Cost of self-care.: One of the top misconceptions of self-care is that it is too expensive, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Your selfcare routine needs to fit your budget. There are plenty of free options available, like going for a walk, or sitting quietly, undisturbed, with a cuppa in your hand, savouring the stillness and quietness around you. Some other less expensive options are buying flowers, having a candle lit shower/bath or downloading songs from an artist whose music really lifts your spirits.
To help you pull these points together, here is the following scenario. If you are on a limited budget and some of your core values are 1) keeping fit, 2) the pleasure gained from being in nature,3) and spending time with the family. Going for a weekly forest or riverside walk with the family will tick all your boxes. Schedule the day and length of the walk to suit all family members and then stick to it.