Self-Care
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying at least once in your life, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” What this essentially means is that before we can take care of anyone else or anything else, we must first take care of ourselves. Taking care of yourself may sound like a basic, simple task, but when we are faced with the stressors of everyday life, the first thing to take a back seat is often self-care.
Self-care is the intentional act of doing an activity to benefit our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. There are numerous benefits to practicing self-care, including reduced anxiety, mood management, and avoiding burn out. It’s important to remember that self-care looks different for everybody and can take many forms.
Here are a few things you may want to keep in mind when planning your self-care routine:
Balance achievement and enjoyment. Participating in an enjoyable activity, like watching TV, may be relaxing and entertaining; however, how accomplished do you feel after watching TV? Engaging in a task where you work towards an achievement, like studying for a test, may leave you feeling accomplished after the study session, but how enjoyable was it? When it comes to self-care, finding activities where you can feel a sense of achievement AND enjoyment, like going for a walk in nature, will offer great benefits.
Don’t forget about your social battery. An introvert may spend self-care time recharging their social battery by taking time to themselves, reading a book or getting in some exercise. An extrovert may practice self-care by surrounding themselves with people, trying a new restaurant with their family or hosting a campfire for their friends. Do what will make you feel the most recharged.
Engaging in self-care is not selfish. In fact, part of the reason we practice self-care is so that we can show up as our best selves when we interact with others in our day to day lives. Try scheduling time for self-care, whether it be once a day or once a week. Think of all the time you spend dedicated to others, and remind yourself that you deserve some of that love too.
At Comm, we continuously promote practicing self-care. Some of Erin’s favourite self-care activities include going to the gym, listening to her favourite podcasts, and snuggling up to her cat, Hughie, after a long day. Hannah’s favourite self-care activities include calling a good friend, baking, and running. We would love to hear what you do for self-care! Send us a message on social media or reach out by email if you would like to discuss creating a healthier self-care routine.
-Erin
