Why Self Care should be your Priority

Self care isn’t just important it’s a total must do!

But what really is selfcare??

“Self care is a very active and powerful choice to engage in the activities that are required to gain or maintain an optimal level of overall health. And in this case, overall health includes not just the physical, but the psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual components of an individual’s well-being.”

In-essence it’s topping up your tank in whatever area you need – deliberately and consciously choosing to act with your mind, body and soul’s wants and needs at the forefront of your decisions. So maybe that means going to bed early, taking 10 minutes in the morning to meditate, getting outside into nature, or relaxing in warm bath.

It really isn't OTT!

Particularly amongst women, I think there’s still a huge misconception that self care is self indulgent – it’s an occasional treat, and is seemingly a bit OTT and selfish.

However, you can’t pour from an empty cup, and if you’re running yourself into the ground, not only are you doing yourself a huge disservice, you’re probably going to find the people around you are missing out as well - maybe your relationship is suffering because you have no energy, or your tense from being overworked you’re taking it out on others.

By carving out time for yourself you are able to give more to others – to have the physical and emotional energy to be a kind, loving, thoughtful and generous human - so in essence it is the opposite of selfish.

Your productivity will increase

Today society expects us to be busy 24/7, this is driven by the perception that a busy person is ambitious and motivated and therefore successful! However, by pushing against that ideal and finding a balance between productivity and selfcare you will find you can get just as much, if not more done, in less time.

This may sounds a ridiculous concept, but by taking more time out you’ll have a better ability to focus, more energy and more perspective so when you do sit down, you’re able to prioritise your time more efficiently, and procrastinate less.

Boom - you’ll find you’re smashing it.

Selfcare keeps you in tune with your inner wisdom

Today, we are so caught up in consuming hours and hours of social media, blogposts, TV, other people’s opinions – we aren’t regularly re-connecting to what we really want, and who we really are.

Self care is a great way to disconnect from all the noise and connect with yourself on a regular basis. Not only will acknowledging the needs of your mind, body and soul quickly get you in tune with that voice, it also gives you the physical space to have that conversation with yourself and tap into your intuition.

Whether it’s a walk, the gym, meditation, prayer, a spa day, a weekend away, even just 20 minutes to yourself in the kitchen to cook your favourite meal. Making that time for self care and shutting out the world for a moment allows that guidance to be heard loud and clear.

It all starts by taking a few minutes...

As I’ve said taking time out for self care doesn’t have to be massive - it can all start with you deciding to take an extra 15 minutes a day for yourself. That 15 minutes can not only change your day, it can change your life, and inspire others around you to change theirs.

By living your life more on purpose and consciously you are able to make better decisions and create a life that you want rather than settling for the one that you stumble upon.

How are you going to give yourself 15 minutes this week? What can you do to top up your tank in a small way?