“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself. ” – Steve Maraboli
“Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. ” – Lucille Ball
There are a million ways that you can say it – while you might be someone who likes to spend your time and energy thinking about and doing for others, the truth is that the main person that you are always going to be responsible for is yourself. We have all heard about self-care and you might think that it is just about taking a time out for an hour each week to head to the spa, play your favorite sport with friends or enjoy a nice glass of wine.
And though it is important to have those moments in your life that are for relaxing and just for you, setting aside just that time when you make yourself the priority does not mean that you’re really taking care of yourself the way that you should. Practicing true self-care is not always about having fun or unwinding. Sometimes it is about doing things that you don’t want to do, that make you uncomfortable, or that are difficult.
Take Care of Your Physical Health
One of the biggest things you can do to help yourself is to make sure that you’re paying attention to your physical health and doing what you can to remain as healthy as possible. This means eating properly, regularly getting physical activity, and working with your doctor to ward off or to treat illnesses that might come your way. Want to add that fun and relaxation back into your self-care? Find a workout that you enjoy doing. This might be playing a rec sport, jogging, or swimming. While you might not like the gym, there must be something that makes you feel your best.
Learn to Say No
Maybe people who have trouble finding time for themselves are those who don’t like to disappoint others or start conflict. You might be the type of person who tries to help out everyone, even if it means filling up your whole day with tasks that mostly serve others rather than yourself. Learning to say no can be difficult, because the truth is that there are going to be some people in your life that don’t take it well – especially if they are used to getting their way in your interactions. Make it clear that you’re saying no to them so that you can better take care of yourself and those who are worth having in your life will understand.
Don’t Let Things Pile Up
We all have those things on our weekly to-do list that we are not all too fond of getting done – you might hate doing laundry and cleaning or are not the best cook and instead opt for take out food more than you should. Stop
intentionally putting off those things that you don’t like to do but that you know need to get done. Getting these tasks out of the way will make you feel more productive, less stressed and will allow you to lead a happier and easier life in the end. Remember that self-care is about doing what needs to be done and not just want you want to do.
Self-care is something that we should all think about every day. Get those difficult tasks done and then reward yourself with something really special. We all want to maintain great relationships in our lives and you should keep in mind that your relationship with yourself is as important as any other.