Self-care in its most basic form means taking care of yourself mentally and physically in order to preserve or improve your health. It’s the deliberate activities that keep our minds and bodies in a state of wellness. But today, I want you to think of self-care in a deeper way. It helps you, but it’s not just for you. Self-care is a personal practice that reaches beyond ourselves. It creates waves of benefits throughout our lives and impacts those around us.
What many powerful women don’t realize is that self-care is life-care. It has a ripple effect on all we do.
Today, I want us all to understand and embrace more intentionally that our state of wellness and fitness affects all areas of life. The act or inaction of building self-care practices into our daily routines has a tangible impact on how we live, love, and lead. It determines if we show up rested or fatigued. The results are clarity of thought or a burdened mind. It fosters health or opens the gateway to illness. It builds mental resilience or creates vulnerability to emotional breakdowns. It all depends on what daily practices we choose.
How we treat ourselves has a noticeable impact on the energy, love, support, and leadership we provide to others.
I’m not here to preach to you, but I hope to reach that resistant part of your mind that is still saying “I don’t have time.” I’ve heard it from many women before you, so no worries. I understand the energy, time, and effort it takes to do and be it all to everyone that has a request. I get it, it’s hard to say no to additional work tasks or family asks. I’ve been there, in the trenches of too much work and not enough time to pause, rest, restore, and renew. It’s a real and risky place to be, and here’s why:
The Consequences
- Neglecting your self-care increases your risk of stress-related ailments.
- Putting yourself last lowers your mental resilience and emotional stability.
- Failure to care for your needs can lead to disturbances in mind, body, spirit, and relationships.
- High stress and low rest are risk factors for a variety of mental and physical challenges.
This list is not to scare you into self-care. It’s to inform your way forward. Some of us are encouraged to do better by learning the negative consequences versus the positive benefits. That’s okay and it’s why I like to give both sides. If you decide to move forward with taking action on your self-care, here are some possible benefits:
The Benefits
- PHYSICAL-Improved immunity because of lower stress, more restful sleep, physical health, and body strength.
- MENTAL-Positive mindset, confidence, increased focus, mental clarity, and mental resilience.
- SPIRITUAL-Sense of purpose, feeling connected to a higher power. self-compassion, and feeling more confident to manage life.
- RELATIONAL-More focused on the here and now, fewer conflicts, better communication, compassion, laughter, and relaxed interactions.
Now that you have a snippet of both sides, you get to decide the what, when, and how of adding self-care to your life. If you are still stuck on the time factor, I’m with you. Even though self-care is a mandatory part of my life, it’s not always easy to add it to my schedule. But, I’ve mastered a method that has worked for me and other women.
Join me here on the blog next week, and I’ll share my method for making self-care a tangible reality in a busy lifestyle.
