Self- care or self- maintenance?

What do you do for SELF- CARE? Is it truly self- care or is it self “maintenance”?

If you want to be successful in your professional and personal life you MUST make yourself- care your top priority! If you don’t take care of yourself first you won’t be able to take care of your clients or loved ones long term! Trust me, I’ve experienced burnout many times because I took care of other people’s well being before I took care of my own.

SELF- CARE, SELF- CARE, SELF- CARE! I know, we see this word all the time and everyone says to make time for it, but what does it actually mean? I thought I knew but I was wrong!

Self- care: Any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.

Until recently what I thought I did for self- care was actually self “maintenance”.

I thought getting my nails done, doing my hair and make-up, getting waxed, a spray tan, and getting my lashes filled was self- care, but really it wasn’t… The things I thought I needed to do for myself, my “self- care” were things that only improved my physical appearance not my overall well being. Sure I felt good when I got my feet rubbed, but finding extra time in my already busy schedule to do those things caused me more stress and anxiety than they did joy.

ITS NOT SELF-CARE IF IT STRESSES YOU OUT OR GIVES YOU ANXIETY!

Self- care for me now is truly self- care and is no longer just for my appearance. It is something that I do for myself on my own time that brings me mental, physical, and emotional joy!

I’ve always thought it was selfish to think of myself and my own needs before helping others, but I was wrong! If you don’t take care of yourself first you won’t be able to take care of your clients and loved ones.

If you don’t already have your own self- care list, make one! That way it you can remind you of the little things that you can do for your own self-care.

For some ideas, here is my SELF- CARE list.

1.Take a bath with Epsom salts

2. Use essential oils

3. Read a novel

4. Cuddle with a pet (fur baby)

5. Self- Reiki

6. Give myself a facial

7. Go for a walk

8. Paint my toenails

9. Meditate with a breathing exercise

10. Organize

11. Deep condition my hair

12. Go to bed early

13. Drink Tea

14. Give myself a body scrub

15. Do yoga/ stretch

Make a conscious effort to practice self- care daily and the more you do the more you will see the benefits and avoid burnout!