Self-care is a popular trending hashtag right now. It describes the practice of deliberately looking after yourself. That means sleeping well, it means taking the occasional bubble bath, and it means grooming. This are all self-care rituals in very basic terms.
The popularity of this movement is of course born out of the sheer importance of looking after ourselves. Failure to do so is liable to result in illness, and to prevent us from performing at our very best. You might be thinking, “who doesn’t look after themselves?”. Allow me to answer on your behalf, amazingly, plenty of people. If you might be one of them, you are not alone and should not feel ashamed. It’s easy to get carried away with tending to others, especially when others may seek or request energy from you in some shape, for or fashion. There are things you can do right now to combat this and get things balanced and in harmonized order.
But before we start “adding” things to our routines to try and be healthier and happier, perhaps it makes sense to look at our current routines first – and to identify the ways in which we aren’t taking care of ourselves.
Here are some prime examples.
You Punish Yourself for Mistakes
Punishing yourself for past mishaps is a common mistake, but no less destructive for it. When we punish ourselves, we essentially lack compassion for ourselves and we treat ourselves with unfair expectations. We all make mistakes, so why force yourself to relive them? Be easy on yourself.
Ask this: would you treat someone else this way?
You Don’t Get Enough Sleep
This is another extremely common mistake: to work hard and long, or just to fail to think about your health; and thus to not get enough sleep.
This has major deleterious effects over time, that will ware down your health, mood, and drive.
You Never Go to the Doctor, Even When You Should and Have Reason To
Does this one sound familiar? Again, it’s a case of treating yourself with less dignity and care than you would show a stranger. How many times have you told friends and relatives they should see a doctor? Isn’t it time you took your own advice?
You Don’t Rest and Relax
Another serious mistake that many people make is not resting and relaxing enough. When was the last time you kicked your legs up on the couch, put on a good movie, and just enjoyed the peace and quiet?
When was the last time you read a good book? Or just sat outside and looked at the sky?
You Work Late
Working late is another extremely common example of putting your own needs last. We place so much pressure on ourselves to perform (and allow others to put pressure on us as well), that we are happy to let it grind down our energy and our health. Not only does this rob us of the free time we deserve, but it actually isn’t productive. Countless studies show that most of the work we do late at night is ineffective and not urgent!
Just try going home on time tomorrow, and see if it noticeably impacts your working week!:-)
Sooo…, now what are you going to do about all this?