Self-Care is an Essential Service

The holiday season has officially arrived! 2020 has already brought many challenges (#understatementoftheyear), and the holidays usually bring even more stress along with them. In preparation, I’m here on my little organizer soapbox to talk about self-care for a hot minute. Stay with me please.

It’s a common belief that self-care is expensive. And sure, a trip to the day spa isn’t cheap. But the narrative that self-care costs money is a marketing ploy. And it’s only one tiny little facet of what the term is really about.

Self-care isn’t about luxury. It’s literally what it sounds like: caring for yourself.

Wondering if you get enough self-care time? Ask yourself if you feel constantly stressed, anxious or tired. If so, than you probably don’t get enough. Remember, this year has been tough, so many of us need more of that personal attention than in the past to make up for the extra cortisol and stress hormones constantly firing this year.

You may be reading this and thinking: “She’s right, I really should make a bit more time when I’m not [insert] working / parenting / peacekeeping / doing errands, etc.” In fact, you’ve probably thought that many times before, right?

The difference between thinking this and actually doing it is building self-care into your daily habits. That means scheduling yourself into your own life. THAT is the way to actually make it happen.

So, in celebration of the holidays approaching and the close of this crazy year, we challenge you to get out your calendar right now and schedule time for yourself. Whether that’s going for a walk every day, time to read, do yoga or take a hot bath, write it down to make it happen. And then follow through on what your schedule is telling you to do.

If you still need some inspiration, here are some self-care activities that are 100% free!

• Spend some time outside and in nature to ground yourself and connect to the seasons
• Start a journal to let go of nagging thoughts and connect with your inner dialogue
• Clean and organize your living space to clear your mind and relieve the anxiety that comes with clutter
• Meditate! It’s really as simple as sitting somewhere quietly and focusing on your breath
• Move your body by dancing, running, stretching, or walking
• Spend some time on a hobby you enjoy, if even once a week or every other week, simply because you love it
• Take a “phone nap” by putting your phone on silent and in a drawer or away from sight for a half hour or longer to let yourself de-buzz form the blue light feed
• Take a bubble bath by candlelight
• Get crafty or artsy this holiday season by setting aside time to work in a coloring book or any of the other hundreds of fun holiday DIY projects that exist out there
• Start reading that book you bought months ago that’s been sitting on your shelf, but that you haven’t made time for

And here are some self-care habits to build into your daily routine:

• Go to sleep earlier so you can fully recharge and restore
• Say “no” more often; taking on more than you can handle isn’t taking care of yourself, it’s spreading yourself too thin
• Take some deep breaths and let your brain refuel with fresh oxygen
• Cuddle with someone you love, whether a pet, partner or child
• Take a break from social media. How can you fill that newfound time in a way that feeds your soul?

Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Taking care of others actually requires that you are taken care of as well. It’s an essential service to yourself.

Happy Self-Care!