Why is self-care so important?

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

In today’s society, we often feel guilty for loving and caring for ourselves. It is seen by some as a selfish act to spend time on our own needs and wants when others need our help or depend on our time. But how can you be fully there for someone if you haven’t taken the time to be there for yourself?

“​Self-care is any action you purposefully take to improve your physical, emotional, or spiritual well being. By making time for self-care, you prepare yourself to be your best so you can share your gifts with the world.” ~ Eleanor Brownn.

Self-care has a formidable power, spreading positivity and hope into every aspect of your life by removing self-doubt and loathing and replacing it with confidence and love. There are so many different ways to develop a loving relationship with yourself. So, we are going to share with you some of our favourites.

Why is it important?

Find your motivation. For example, ‘I want my children to know that self-care is a healthy and wonderful gift to give yourself and others.’ Once you have realized your motivation, you are more likely to keep on track. If any self-deprecating thoughts crop up, you can refer back to your motivation and know why you started this journey, encouraging you to continue.

So, begin by looking at why you want to incorporate more self-care into your life. Tell yourself why you deserve to spend more time allowing yourself this attention. After all, you do deserve to give yourself care and love. As I said earlier, my reason is my family, and for me to be all that I wanted to be for them, I needed to be all that I could be for me.

Self-care rituals

Start with some self-care rituals; this is a quick and easy way to begin feeling good. What can you incorporate into your daily life to show yourself some love? Identify your wants and needs, then make time for them; they can be anything that makes you feel cared about.

Below is a printable list of ideas to start you off. Just click on the picture to download (You can also find more about rituals in our daily rituals blog here).

Be your authentic self

Stop comparing yourself to others. We know this is one of the hardest things to do when starting your journey. It’s easy to look at someone on the internet and believe their life is perfect, especially when you see all the fantastic pictures and stories they post. However, it is essential to remember that no one’s life is ever picture-perfect.

Everyone has heartache and struggles at some point, but most people will never share these life events with strangers; as a result, this can give a false impression of a perfect life. We all have unique lives made up of our own stories, feelings, thoughts, and perspectives. So remember, there is no comparison, as no one else has lived your life.

Find your tribe

No matter how independent you are, it is always helpful to find your tribe—a group of people who will help you and keep you motivated. Jim Rohn once said, ‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’ Do you surround yourself with positive, inspiring people? Do they understand the art of self-care and self-love? If not, then it’s time to find your tribe and remove negativity from your life.

Fall in love with your body

With ‘perfect’ bodies plastered all over the media, loving your body has become a modern-day struggle. But who decides on what’s perfect? In the late 1400’s Botticelli’s painting the birth of Venus celebrated a voluptuous physique. Whereas nowadays, the media portrays beauty as flawless. Where there is not one wrinkle or dimple insight, which we all know is impossible and down to the magic of photo editing, our bodies are part of our unique story; the scar you got falling from your bike at ten years old is yours and yours alone.

The stretch marks you have from carrying your child are the marks of love. That bit of flabby skin you have from working hard to lose a little weight is a sign of perseverance. Look at what you believe are your faults and realize they are not faults; they are reminders of your life story. They prove you have overcome obstacles and lived through joy and trauma and prove your uniqueness and power. Spend time exploring and caring for your body; for some simple self-massage techniques you can try at home, click here.

Practice forgiveness

None of us can move on while holding on to our past. We need to clear these blocks to move forward. Being weighed down by anger and hurt will not help your self-care journey. Forgiving does not mean condoning something. It simply means not allowing it to affect your present and your future. So forgive yourself for past mistakes and others’ behaviour or misdeeds. Finally, learn from what has happened and allow yourself to move forward.

“ The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong“ ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Live a healthy life

Health is different for everyone; as you already know, everyone is unique. People have different health needs, diets, metabolisms, illnesses, and more. So when we say live a healthy life, we mean a healthy life for you.

Incorporate the best diet you can and the best exercises for you and your body. I know someone who eats a high-fat diet, as their illness leaves them at risk of malnourishment. Another person I know can’t stand for long unaided, so she practices a lot of chair exercises and sitting yoga. Find your health needs, and tailor your goals to them to begin living your healthiest life.

Have a bad day list

We all have days beyond our control when we feel helpless, upset, low, or angry. These days are the days we need to practice self-care the most. They are the days we struggle and don’t want to bother. Therefore, we must have a plan in place to bring us back to self-love.

List things that help you feel cared for and loved on a good day. Ensure you take into account different time frames for each item. While also making sure you have what you need to accomplish these things. For example, if you love the pure pleasure of sitting with a facemask on or taking a nice long bath, make sure you have what you need in the house already (perhaps in a bad day basket), then carve out time to include this activity into your day.

If you love listening to music, make a playlist full of your favourite uplifting songs beforehand and sit and listen to them. Better yet, move your body to it. Furthermore, if you need help with a few ideas, look at the printable list of self-care ideas from earlier. Whatever you need to refill your cup, put it on this list.

Remember to love yourself

We can do many more things to show ourselves care and love. Feel free to add to the things mentioned in this blog and ensure you enhance your life wherever possible. The more love we feel, the more love we exude. The more full our life, the more we have to share. Self-care is not selfish; it is all-encompassing. The more we hold, the more we have to give.

”If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” ~ Fred Rogers

For more information and tips on self-love, click here, or for a more in-depth look at treating yourself, kindly click here. Remember to watch for new self-care ideas and share any self-love rituals with us at @surrender_to_happiness. We always love finding new ways to practice self-care. If you want to introduce new rituals, look at our article ‘Introducing daily rituals into your life.’ Finally, if you want something unique, check out our self-love crystal grid kit.

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