Hey girl, I’m pointing at you! We all hear the world preaching about how important self-care is, but are you really doing it? My husband always says “Look Good – Feel Good, Feel Good – Do Good!”
I have made it a point, especially in the last few months, to practice self-care. Some weeks I may do self-care more than others, but I try to be consistent. Some of y’all might be like “I have zero probs with self-care… I do it all day, every day!” And that is amazing, but most of us have a hard time making it a priority.
This topic has come up in multiple conversations this past week, with family, friends and coworkers, so I felt the need to write about it.
Let’s talk about the reasons we don’t make it a priority:
- We feel guilty. It takes time away from my family, and my kids deserve more. We feel like we should prioritize other things such as chores, work, wifely duties, parenting, etc. ALL THE THINGS on the to do list.
- We don’t have the time. Maybe you are so busy with work, kids, home, and more that you feel self-care would take away from productivity, which is how society can view self-worth. How much can we do, in the shortest amount of time?
- We don’t want to spend the money. We can’t justify spending money on a good haircut, or skincare, because that money can go elsewhere that is more important than my selfish needs.
So, those are a few of the most common reasons why a lot of women don’t make self-care a priority, but let’s talk about the reasons why we SHOULD make it a priority.
- Self-Care helps you take better care of others. When you empty your gas tank to help others before taking care of yourself, doing so can quickly lead to emotional and physical exhaustion. I had a therapist once tell me it’s like putting the oxygen on yourself before your child on an airplane like they instruct. Our first instinct is to get the oxygen on our child, and take care of them but if you pass out first, you cannot help your child. This metaphor is applicable to daily life and how we must take care of ourselves in order to take care of others.
- It helps strengthen your immune system. Self-care practices like exercising, eating healthy, and taking naps can help make your immune system stronger and healthier. If you don’t do these things regularly as a part of your routine, chronic stress can lead to a weakened immune system, which will make you more susceptible to colds and illnesses. When you become sick, you cannot help anyone else which is much more time consuming when trying to play catch up.
- Self-Care does not need to be a splurge. There are many ways to do self-care that are free, such as a hot bath or a nap. And if the ways you do self-care cost money but bring you the most joy, then build a plan to hit your goals. You could easily find a second source of income to help pay for your self-care splurges. That’s one of the many reasons why I joined Limelife by Alcone as a Beauty Guide! I could go on for days about my “WHY”, but I just really wanted to be able to have something for myself that I was earning while staying at home with my babies.
So, I challenge you to write down your top five favorite ways to practice self-care, and try to accomplish each of those some way in this month. Drop them in a comment below!
Mine are:
Pilates
Date night with my husband
Brunch with a friend
Take a nap
Skincare routine and makeup
