Self-care is the conscious action we take to promote our own physical, mental, and emotional health.
I believe we are all on a journey, an awakening, a realisation that practicing self love or self care isn’t a luxury but a priority. We are women and men who want to feel happy, want to feel good and want to feel well. So here, I explore strategies, habits and affirmations, not only for myself but to share with you, to help promote self love and self care on a daily basis.
Self care is taking care of our mind, body and spirit, which is why Pilates, as well as other disciplines such as Yoga, Tai Chi and Meditation, are so beneficial.
The movements and breath practices tap into our parasympathetic nervous system, calming down the fight or flight responses in the body and rebalance us mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Over the years my Pilates teaching has evolved to become so much more than just physical exercise. We embrace working in harmony with nature, looking to the seasons and the characteristics of the elements of those seasons for balance between strength and softness and flows of energy. We explore the complex associations between our joints and muscles, our internal organs and our emotions. We are aware of our meridians and the importance of balancing our energy pathways, our hormones, our nervous system and our immune system. We have become more mindful of the effect of our breathing practices and of intuitive and instinctive movement on our mental, emotional and physical health.
Sometimes we may take too much on and can end up feeling overwhelmed, tired and ill-equipped to handle life’s challenges. If our energy levels are low, if we are out of balance mentally and emotionally. A task that is normally easy can feel like moving a mountain and worries seem insurmountable. Taking care of our basic needs is the first step to physical, mental and emotional wellness and to promoting inner strength and clarity.
So let’s look at 5 elements of self care that we should consciously and regularly consider and put into practice … Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Emotional and Social self care….
PHYSICAL SELF CARE –
Is how you nourish and fuel your body, how much sleep you get and how much physical activity you do.
Thinking about the importance of your health and making sure taking care of yourself is a priority will strengthen your mind body connection and self awareness and is a step towards self love and self appreciation.
More on that later.
Are you managing your health, perhaps by taking prescribed medication correctly or making sure your diet is healthy and fuelling your body properly?
You won’t have the desired results of feeling well and happy if you are eating an unhealthy diet with added sugars and saturated fats. Or, if you eat too little or too much, which can impact your energy levels and mean you aren’t getting enough nutrients.
To stay healthy and happy it’s important that we get enough exercise, which as we know releases our endorphins and other happy hormones, is good for our mental health and helps to prevent illness and disease.
Are you getting enough sleep? If you aren’t sleeping properly you are more likely to feel unwell or unhappy. Mindfulness and relaxation techniques won’t be effective if you are tired because you will be more likely to fall asleep rather than be consciously present and in the moment.
There is more information on all of the above in some of my other health and wellness blogs. Look out for my Tips to Boosting your Energy Levels, Natural Ways to Boost Your Immune System and The Benefits of Walking for further reading or listening.
MENTAL SELF CARE –
The way you think and the things you fill your mind with influence your psychological well being. Negativity breeds negativity, and as the saying goes, misery loves company!! So try surrounding yourself with positive people who stimulate you mentally, make you laugh and love and support you, rather than energy vampires who constantly moan or criticise and are a mental and emotional drain.
Are you pro-active when it comes to your mental health?
Do you have a foggy mind? (And I am not just talking about menopausal fog..that’s another subject entirely!!)
Do you find time to do things that are mentally stimulating? We should take time to do something to nourish our mental well-being and develop mental self care, from listening to music that inspires you, doing puzzles, reading amazing books, finding inspirational speakers or podcasts, learning something new, having a hobby you love, being creative, being still.
Mental clarity means having a focused and clear state of mind rather than being clouded with indecision and unnecessary worry.
EMOTIONAL SELF CARE –
May mean learning to express emotions and feelings, which we can sometimes find difficult, for the benefit of our emotional health and well-being.
Nurturing our emotional needs and developing the skill to deal with uncomfortable emotions such as anger, anxiety and sadness will help us to identify our feelings and our inner conscious state.
It is a way of taking control of who we are, by learning to recognise ourselves, feel ourselves, take care of ourselves and dedicate time to our mind and our emotions. Inner strength isn’t found in hiding our emotions, but in accepting and managing them. All our emotions are necessary and we should learn to accept the ever changing flow graciously.
We can improve our emotional self care with breathing techniques and practicing mindfulness.
Movement flows that balance the Qi energy to our organs will balance our emotions, as will doing things that make you happy, repeating positive affirmations and setting new goals.
Leisure activities can help process emotions and recharge and re- energise you. Some of us may crave being in nature, perhaps in the countryside or by the sea. We may simply need to walk or sit quietly. Others may need to run or kayak or weight train and sweat out emotional aggression. We all have a different constitution, which is why what works for one person may not work for another.
So make sure you are doing what is right for YOU and your emotional needs and not someone else’s!
SPIRITUAL SELF CARE –
Nurturing your spirit doesn’t have to mean religion or even practicing meditation if that’s not for you. It can involve anything that develops a deeper sense of self, a deeper sense of meaning, or understanding and connecting to the universe. In Pilates we focus on strengthening our mind body connection. And connecting to ourselves nourishes the spirit. Our Pilates practice often involves movement flows and breath practices that allow us to find mental and physical space and calmness and stillness of the mind.
Do you ever ask yourself questions about your life and life experiences? Do you ever give yourself space to be aware of what your heart requires and find courage to take action and make changes?
Mindfulness, meditation, mind body connection, breath practices and being present or in the moment can all enhance your sense of spirit.
SOCIALISING –
Is another key to self care. So let’s think for a moment about the impact of Covid and the effect being in isolation had on our mental and emotional health.
I have always been quite a social bunny, but I am also very comfortable with my own company. Throughout lockdown I thrived on the stillness and the enforced change of pace of life. I found the mental space to be more creative and pro-active with my business in ways I had never imagined and didn’t miss my social life nearly as much as I thought I would. I know other people who felt the same and others who felt shut off, lonely and frustrated.
As always… different people coped in different ways.
We are still feeling the after effects even now. Some people have become much more choosy about who they spend their precious time with and have found the ability and the power to say no! Others are delighted to be back to being socially normal, and have picked up almost exactly where they left off.
It is really important for our mental and emotional well-being to cultivate and maintain close relationships. How much we socialise and with how many is very much down to the individual. Everyones needs are different.
How much effort do you put in to staying connected with others? Social self care is cultivated by positive relationships with people who are energising, nourishing, supportive, stimulating, caring, loving, funny and kind.
When it comes to your personal self love and self care, asses which areas of your life need attention. We can all be guilty of being too busy and not mindful enough to listen to our bodies and recognise our needs.
A busy person may need to schedule in physical self care where as someone who is retired or lives alone may require their social needs to be met.
Below I have listed things that mean Self Love And Self Care to me. Perhaps there is something here to inspire you or perhaps you will find your own.
SELF LOVE AND SELF CARE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS
Love and accept yourself
Listen to your Body
Create positive habits and positive self talk to improve your confidence and self esteem
Avoid self criticism and comparing yourself to others
Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you
Be kind, loving and gracious
End toxic relationships
Find the power of no!
Follow your passions
Be proud of who you are and your achievements
Take time to find out who you are
Be realistic
Embrace your mistakes
Nurture your creativity
Find your Happy Place
I hope this gives you some inspiration for your Self Love and Self Care Journey.
Thank you for reading
Angi
xx
