Self Care and Mindfulness seem to be the buzz words were here these days in the self help and therapy world. Do you know what self care really means? Or what it may mean to you? Self-care is intentionally taking care of your “self” and who you are. It is giving yourself the time, love, and attention to enrich and recharge your mind, body, heart and soul. Mindfulness is a way of tuning in to your self without judgments and can be one way to take care of yourself when you are stressed out (and does not take any time at all).
A common reason people use for not engaging in self care behaviors is not having the time. What you might not realize is self care can be very easy, take no time at all, and can be simply added to what you do in your regular day. The last thing anyone needs these days is more to do and added stress.
How do you take care of yourself?
Examples of self care include:
- taking a deep breath
- taking a 10 minute bubble bath instead of a shower one day
- mindfully noticing while you eat dinner
- 3 minute body relaxing (progressive muscle) exercises
- noticing if you feel tension in your body and releasing it
- 5 minute daily meditation.
- taking a walk or do yoga
- notice your breathing as you fall asleep at night
- scheduling time for a professional massage
- leaving work on time to make a healthy dinner for yourself
- committing to regular therapy sessions
- listening to soothing music or reading a book
- scheduling time (even 30 minutes) with yourself, family, or friends
A busy person might wonder how they will make that time happen. The bigger question is if you do not take time for yourself, who will? Will you feel more overwhelmed, be less patient with family and feel more stressed? Will you be more irritable, feeling overwhelmed, emotionally and physically exhausted without self care? Self-care is a “return on your investment” and it truly is taking good care of yourself to feel like a better YOU, for you and your loved ones. Noticing with curiosity (not judgments) what you are doing right now is a way to be mindful and calm your mind and body.
What are you doing right now?
If you would like to discuss this further to see if a professional therapist could be helpful in teaching you mindfulness, addressing deeper issues, or helping you feel less stressed, contact us at Gaithersburg Counseling Center, at (240) 274-5680 or admin@HealingLLC.com. Or you can visit our website for more information at www.HealingLLC.com.
