“Go big or go home”
The constant barrage of self-care ads featuring a completely relaxing spa getaway can leave many of us feeling frustrated. While it would be great to have a day at the spa, many of us just don’t have the time or money to go. Quite honestly, life as a single mom doesn’t leave me much time to get a massage, let alone to the spa.
I also find it frustrating that we have been taught to equate self-care with getaways, or retreats. These things are great, truly, and wonderfully relaxing, nurturing, and a lovely form of self-care. But in the life of an average person, these things can seem virtually impossible. Schedules, finances, they all impact our daily lives.
The good news? (Yes, there’s good news!)
Great self-care doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of time or money.
It’s all about the little daily things
Self-care, like self-love, needs to be addressed on multiple levels. It’s important to focus on body, mind, and spirit to get the longest-lasting benefit from whatever you chose to do.
Areas to look at:
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Socializing
- Spiritual practice
If you’d like to get a good picture of where your life is at the moment, download my personal growth assessment worksheet.
Why boundaries are important
Boundaries are another important aspect of self-care. Without boundaries, we risk over-extending ourselves. When we push ourselves too far, we lower our immunity, we exhaust our physical and emotional reserves. This leaves us vulnerable to illness on many levels.
Boundaries, even simple ones, help us maintain our balance.
Boundaries allow us to be there for ourselves, as well as others. They keep us healthy in mind, body, and spirit.
5 simple self-care techniques that you can do anytime, anywhere
Click here to download this infographic.
Here is a list of 5 things you can start doing today to help up your self-care regime. You can download a .pdf of the list here.
Meditate – even a few minutes of breathing exercises is a form of meditation. Bonus: breathing relaxes the body and the mind, and can help lower stress and blood pressure.
Journal – writing out our thought, fears, hopes, and even anger, can help reduce pent-up anxiety and tension. It also helps us get clear on our thoughts and feelings.
Stretch – moving the body has many benefits, including increasing mobility, relaxing and reducing tension, and invigorating the senses.
Nature – getting out in nature helps us breathe, relax, and balance. Try “earthing” (going barefoot) for even more benefit.
Bath – there’s nothing quite like stretching out in a bath filled with scented salts to relieve tension and help you relax. Don’t have a bathtub? Fill a basin with warm water and Epsom salts for a foot soak!
Looking for more answers?
If you’d like to delve further into ways you can promote wellness in your life, check out the Mentoring & Services pages of my website and let’s see what we can do to help you on your journey to self-love through creating an oasis of self-care.
