There is a scene in the movie Pretty Woman where one friend says to another friend, “Take care of you.”Although this is a romantic comedy, there is no truer statement.
In my life coaching practice, I often tell my clients to remember the airplane principle.You are told on the plane that if there is a sudden change in cabin pressure to secure your own air mask before you attempt to assist someone else.This is a life principle: You cannot help anyone else if you are struggling.This is one of the justifications for self care.
Most people see self care as a potentially selfish or unnecessary act, but nothing could be further from the truth.As a matter of fact, there are health benefits related to practicing self care.It can help you to relieve stress, it can provide mental clarity and is vital to your emotional and mental health and well-being. I also believe that there are levels to self care.
Self care can be as little or as much as you make it.
A bubble bath or an hour with a good book are examples of practicing self care.A trip to the local salon for a manicure, a pedicure or hairstyle are also ways to practice. You can go and have one treatment done or you can have all three.Maybe instead of going to the local salon, you book a spa day at a nearby day spa or take a short road trip and go to a spa a few miles from home.Make it an overnight trip to add an extra layer of rest and relaxation.
Another way to practice self care is a vacation. Whether it is a short trip or a long trip, vacations can be a great way to relax if all of the stressful things are taken care of in advance. There should also be some rest time built into any vacation — because if you run yourself ragged during a vacation, you have to recover when you get back home. That sort of defeats the purpose of the getaway, in my opinion.
Self care should be a part of your living routine. At least one thing you do each day should be done for you and should allow yourself the time you need to recharge, whether it is walking around the block, listening to music or sitting in a coffee shop and enjoying your coffee as opposed to grabbing it and running to the next thing. Self care is that time we take to get in touch with ourselves and to allow ourselves the time we need to reconnect.Even a day at the spa can be the mental and physical break we need to prevent stress.Whatever you decide to do, remember that it is important to “take care of you”!
You can read more by this writer at www.thissinglesole.org
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