The truth is, self care can mean so many different things to different people. There are no lists, no processes and no guidelines that we can all accept, follow and take on board in our everyday lives. However, we have to all acknowledge that self care is important and we must take time to define a list, process or guideline that is befitting to our character, values and lifestyle.
Before defining what self care is to you, some questions to ask would be, what makes you happy? and how do you express that happiness.? And secondly, what things in your life would you like to change or improve in order to reach your desired level of happiness? Lastly, what are your dreams and ambitions, and where do you see yourself in the future? Having an understanding of yourself, and being able to answer those questions in more depth, will create clarity and enable you to outline your vision, and more importantly, you can align all your self care practises so that everything is working in cohesion, for the benefit of you.
So as an example, let's say you would like to improve your finances, like all of us do. Firstly, review your in-comings and your outgoings, what are your necessities and what are the luxuries you can or cannot afford. Then ask yourself, what disciplines do you need to create for yourself in order to ensure your finances remain in the state you need them to be in. And more importantly, how are you levelling up, is a new job needed, can you earn extra income through other means or do you need to improve your skills to command that paper?
You may ask, what have finances got to do with self care?, well a lot really. Self care isn't just the fun things that provide instant gratification, it is the long-term heavy lifting and grafting that we need to do in order to create balance and a positive well-being. Balance and well-being are the outcomes of consistent, and curated self care practises.
Life has so many facets, dimensions and elements that create our world. It is important to understand and mould the branches of your tree, so can nurture them accordingly. Take time to understand the elements that make up your inner and outer world so you have a clear understanding of everything happening around you, in order to identify the elements you can change or control to improve your self care regime.
Self care is not a thing, a particular task we can submit on a checklist and say it's done. It's an ongoing, evolving way of life that will ultimately create peace and happiness.
1) Understand who you are, what you love, what you wish to improve in your life and all the layers that make up your world.
2) Make a plan to plan, and then plan your self care routines and rituals.
3) Follow your gut, and execute your plan
4) Review and improve your plan always (Life changes, and so do you!)
