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It took a panic attack for me to realize self-care comes first. In 2012, I was anxious, stressed out, and seriously questioning my purpose in life. As it turned out, all I needed to do was take better care of myself to get back on track. Letting go of control, listening to my body, and putting myself first empowered me to shift from anxious to aligned.
While I once ran the rat-race of the 9-to-5 daily grind, now I’m a work-at-home, self-employed boss babe helping women around the world stress less and achieve more. Over the years, I’ve compiled some of the most effective strategies for stress management and anxiety relief. Now, I’m sharing these self-care tips with you. Here’s what you need to know about self-care.
Keep reading and listen to the Chronically Conscious podcast to learn how to take better care of yourself.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve and improve your own health. Creating an effective self-care routine involves taking an active role in protecting your own well-being and happiness, particularly during periods of stress.
But wait… isn’t that selfish?
Nope! Self-care isn’t selfish at all. In fact, self-care comes first. Keep reading to learn how you can incorporate more self-love into your daily routine.
Holistic Self-Care
“Holistic” gets a bad reputation for being mystical or mysterious. Really, it’s just an all-encompassing approach for viewing health and wellness. Holistic health is based on the understanding that each area of our life is connected to each other.
Holistic self-care includes adding value to each area of your life:
- Emotional
- Intellectual
- Physical
- Social
- Spiritual
Why Self-Care Comes First
Perhaps you’ve seen the hashtag #selfcarecomesfirst, but is that really true? The answer is yes, self-care comes first. Always.
Admittedly, as a spiritual mentor and life coach for women, I’m biased. However, there are three undeniable reasons why self-care is the best care, and why self-care comes first.
1. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
Have you ever tried squeezing that last little bit of coffee out of the pot, hoping that more will magically appear? Has that ever worked?
The truth is that you can’t give what you don’t have. If you want a nice, piping hot cup of coffee, you’ve got to put something in the pot first. The same goes for the results in your life. If you want to be a kind, loving, and generous person, you first have to be kind, loving, and generous with yourself.
Giving and giving and without giving to yourself first will only result in you feeling tired, overwhelmed, stressed out, and utterly depleted.
^^^ Don’t worry if any of that sounds like you. There’s hope. Prioritize your self-care, and put yourself first, and you’ll find that you have more to give than you ever imagined.
Get the Self-Care Shortcut when you purchase the Anxiety Remedy.
2. Doing your best doesn’t mean neglecting yourself.
I totally understand wanting to do your best. After all, if you’re going to do something, you should give it your best shot. However, doing your best doesn’t mean working yourself to the point of a mental breakdown.
This is an important lesson, especially if you’re a recovering perfectionist such as myself. Before I developed the self-care routine that I have now, I ended up in the ER with a panic attack on more than one occasion. All of this drama, and for what? It was the result of working too hard and not giving myself enough TLC.
The truth is that you can’t always give 100% all of the time. Sometimes, your best really is 100%. Other times, your best might be 10%, and that’s okay. Do the best with what you have at that time. And if someone’s trying to push you past your limit? Say hello to my little friend, a short yet sweet word I like to call, “No.”
True self-care means treating yourself with grace and compassion. Listen to your body’s needs. Learn to rest, not to quit. Remember that you’re a woman of strength. You can do this, especially if you give yourself the time, space, and energy you need to thrive.
3. Self-care isn’t selfish.
Many religions and spiritual practices believe that the body is a temple. I do, too. That makes self-care an act of service, not of selfishness. You need to take care of yourself in order to serve others effectively. Regardless of your faith, you’re a beautiful being, and you need to honor your needs. Be in tune with yourself. Watch for warning signs of burnout. Listen to your body.
You know that little inner voice telling you to slow down? Yup, that one. Do yourself and everyone else around you a favor—listen to that inner voice and take care of yourself for once. Your friends, family members, kids, co-workers, and clients will thank you. And hopefully, you’ll thank yourself, too.
How to Practice Self-Care
Consistently adding value to each area of your life is not only the foundation of a healthy self-care routine, but is also one of the keys to creating a happy life. Get your daily self-care checklist here.
One of the most powerful strategies I share with my private clients is to determine their core values (top five non-negotiables) and use these as a filter for making decisions. When you cut out the clutter and focus on what matters most, everything makes sense and the stress melts away. I’ve found this strategy to be even more helpful in reducing stress and anxiety than scented candles and bubble baths (although I do indulge in a sudsy soak now and again). Click here to identify your core values.
For additional support in managing stress, overcoming anxiety, and living your best life ever, get the Anxiety Remedy. The Anxiety Remedy includes:
- Stress Solution to reduce stress
- Freedom Formula to treat the root cause of anxiety
- Success Strategy to create a better life
- Confidence Cure to keep moving forward
- Self-Care Shortcut to take care of yourself
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