Taking Care of You
We spend our days taking care of everyone and everything else...our spouse, our children, our employer, our friends, but do we take enough time to take care of ourselves?
Well, maybe it's time you start to think about taking care of YOU. Why? You say you're okay and you really are needed by everyone else more than you think you need to care for yourself. Look at it this way, if you don't take care of you, YOU will begin to breakdown eventually, and then WHO is going to take care of all of those others? So, it's for the benefit of everyone else that you care for that you keep yourself in the best shape possible.
With that said, here are a few ways you can begin taking care of you physically, mentally and emotionally:
(Health care for you & your family for less than a cup of coffee a day!)
PHYSICALLY:
Start with a sensible diet. Eat well. Get plenty of fluids. Then go with exercise. Some examples of fun exercise could be going for a walk, dancing, hiking, swimming, or play with your dog! Getting physically touched by others! Like get a hug! Who can't use a hug??? Take a long soak in the bath. (okay add a few drops of essential oils, float some flower petals, light a few candles, and you WILL relax!) Do some physical activity that is productive! Clean your house. Organize your closet. Minimize! (Toss, donate, keep bins are great for this activity!) Hold a yard sale if you'd rather make a little cash than to donate! Babysit for a neighbor who needs a night out! Mow your grass. Raise some flowers or a vegetable garden! Take up a new hobby: just about anything can be turned into hobby! Sewing, crafting, build something! Learn how to reuse discards for something new! Just get physical!!!
MENTALLY:
We all can use a mental break now and then. Remember that tub soak above? It fits in here as well! Or how about reading a good book! (I always have 3 or 4 good books going at one time. Drives my husband crazy, wondering how I keep up with each one!) Learn a new skill, like photography or knitting! Coloring. Yes, adult coloring is the latest craze in relaxation techniques! And if you're more skilled than just coloring, how about drawing the picture before you color it instead of buying a coloring book? Want an even better mental break? How about unplugging for a while. Turn off your phone, your iPad, your PC, and your TV for an evening. Just B-E.
And last of all, let's not forget
EMOTIONALLY
How many times have you sat and patted a friends hand while they unloaded their problems on you? But when was the last time you unloaded? We all need to get rid of the "stuff" that builds up in our lives. And yes, we all have that "stuff", and if we don't get rid of it now and again, it can build up and cause some problems. So here are a few ways to unload.
How about meditation or prayer? You don't necessarily have to be religious to meditate. Just practice breathing in and out with relaxation. Prayer has been known to take care of a myriad of ailments, but I find it allows me to clear my mind and find inner peace. You can exercise again. Exercise has been shown to increase endorphins and give you that feel good feeling. Some people find emotional release in yoga. Some find serenity when lighting a candle. There is something about the soft glow of candle light, scented or not, that is simply soothing. How about YOU talking to a friend? If they are a real friend, they will want you to tell them when you are in need of a shoulder or an ear, just as you want to be there for them! Go on a date. Yes. Single or married, go on a date. Everyone deserves an evening out at some point. Just to put everything behind you with someone special and just be in the moment with one another. Write your feelings and thoughts down in a journal. This is personally my favorite. I have journals going all the way back to when I was 14 years old! (I'm sure that when I leave this earth, someone will get a big laugh about all of the times I grumbled on paper, and vented over silly things, rather than let them build up inside me!) And if you don't want anyone to ever find your journal, write it down and then burn it. Or I had one journal I buried, symbolically burying something from my past that hurt me deeply, and it has never bothered me since. I found peace in that. And lastly, one of my favorite things, make a list of all the things you are grateful for. I keep a journal/planner (which I call my War Book, because it contains everything I am currently doing, from household chores, to appointments, and schedules, and bills to pay) and part of that journal is dedicated to daily writing down one thing I am thankful for. It is humbling, sometimes, when we realize just how much we truly have to be thankful for. Last year, I named 365 things to be thankful for. One for every day of the year.
How about meditation or prayer? You don't necessarily have to be religious to meditate. Just practice breathing in and out with relaxation. Prayer has been known to take care of a myriad of ailments, but I find it allows me to clear my mind and find inner peace. You can exercise again. Exercise has been shown to increase endorphins and give you that feel good feeling. Some people find emotional release in yoga. Some find serenity when lighting a candle. There is something about the soft glow of candle light, scented or not, that is simply soothing. How about YOU talking to a friend? If they are a real friend, they will want you to tell them when you are in need of a shoulder or an ear, just as you want to be there for them! Go on a date. Yes. Single or married, go on a date. Everyone deserves an evening out at some point. Just to put everything behind you with someone special and just be in the moment with one another. Write your feelings and thoughts down in a journal. This is personally my favorite. I have journals going all the way back to when I was 14 years old! (I'm sure that when I leave this earth, someone will get a big laugh about all of the times I grumbled on paper, and vented over silly things, rather than let them build up inside me!) And if you don't want anyone to ever find your journal, write it down and then burn it. Or I had one journal I buried, symbolically burying something from my past that hurt me deeply, and it has never bothered me since. I found peace in that. And lastly, one of my favorite things, make a list of all the things you are grateful for. I keep a journal/planner (which I call my War Book, because it contains everything I am currently doing, from household chores, to appointments, and schedules, and bills to pay) and part of that journal is dedicated to daily writing down one thing I am thankful for. It is humbling, sometimes, when we realize just how much we truly have to be thankful for. Last year, I named 365 things to be thankful for. One for every day of the year.
I hope this has given you a little food for thought, and you were able to come up with some good ways to begin taking care of you. It's the first step in maintaining a healthy lifestyle!
If you have other ways to keep yourself Physically, Mentally and Emotionally well, please feel free to add them to the comments of this blog!
And feel free to share this with others if you found it useful!
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