5 ways to Practice Self Care

As women we have been programmed to think of ourselves last, by society, our families and some cultures. We are taught that we are wrong if we think of ourselves first and in some cases if we think of ourselves at all.

We must do what is expected of a woman- juggle everything. Be a wife, mum, friend, have a career and look after the home are just some of the expectations of women.

If we don’t do the above expectations or do something different to what is expected then we are judged by society, our families, friends and culture. We are judged for being different and especially if we choose to practice self care, it is seen as selfish and wrong. Even other women can look at us bad and judge us if we go out of the scope of what a woman should be doing. So no wonder women find it hard to practice self care.

But more and more women don’t want to fit into the box that has been given to them, they want to do what is best for themselves including self care, as they realise that if they don’t think of themselves first they can’t help anyone else anyway. Practising self care enables them to be the best version of themselves.

When l started my spiritual awakening l had to learn how to practise self-care and integrate it in my life. It hasn’t been easy but has been a gradual process that has become a very important part of my life.

If you want to start practicing self-care, here are 5 ways to practice self care to get you started:

1)Physical self care- prioritise sleep.

This is definitely a hard one for women to do but very important. Prioritising your sleep helps you get the rest you need and to function better. However, when women are busy being mums and juggling everything else it can be a difficult one to implement. However, it can be achieved with baby steps such as asking for support so you have more time for rest and sleep and setting a bedtime routine.

2)Physical self care- be active.

This self care practice of being more active is one that will help your physical health. Implementing ways to be more active in your day is beneficial and a great way to start, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift and going for a walk at lunch time. Also, doing different activities such as walking, running, swimming, cycling or yoga.

3)Mental & emotional self care-be kind to yourself.

Being kind to yourself is a mental and emotional self care practice that is good to have part of your life. If you are used to being self critical to yourself all the time this can be challenging at first as you will be reprogramming how you think about yourself. Start by taking small steps to be kind to yourself. For example, when you hear yourself have a self critical thought, become aware of it. Then maybe next time do the same but replace it with a more self compassionate thought. Over time you will be able to become more kind to yourself.

4) Mental & emotional self care- set boundaries.

Another way of taking care of your mental and emotional self care can be setting boundaries. The reason why some women are not able to have self care in their life is because they have no boundaries. They usually have no boundaries because that is how they have been programmed and don’t know any different or feel like they are not allowed to have any boundaries. A good way to start is saying No to little things you don’t want to do but have always said Yes.

5)Social & Spiritual self care-spend time in nature.

Spending time in nature can help your social and spiritual self care. In todays busy world it makes it harder for women to do these kind of things, to fit them into their life. But with small steps you can have nature as part of your life. For example, you can spend time in nature by going for a walk, being in the garden, gardening, hiking or just sitting outside enjoying the fresh air. You could start by sitting outside for 5 minutes a day and then gradually increase.

So you could start today, choose one of the above ways to practice self care, taking small steps. Enjoy the process.

If you want to learn more about how to practice self care here is my ebook how to practice self care for every day life -30 days self care plan.