Massages, pedicures, manicures, and shopping are some of the easiest, go-to self-care strategies that we used to dive into when we needed to spoil ourselves with some love. But now that we are all asked to stay indoors, what self-care strategies are you living out? Remember that self-care should not only be done as a de-stressing solution for the physical body. It is so much more than fulfilling vanity needs or the craving to look presentable.
Self-care is more proactive. It is done so even when stressful days come, you can go through the challenges and thrive. It equips you with the power to go beyond surviving. It allows you to withstand difficult days and protects you from running on empty. Self-care is a beautiful act of self-nourishment. It is choosing to recharge even before your battery begins to run low. Simply put, self-care has a protective function because it is investing in ourselves.
Since we are all on lockdown, and most of our self-care routines aren’t available, how are you taking care of yourself? I would like to challenge you with a new thought: Do not depend on anyone for your self-care.
Here are three S’s to help you remember my basic tenets about self-care: simple, self-nourishing, and sustainable.
SELF-CARE SHOULD BE SIMPLE
It should be homemade, doable, and easily available. Go for something that is no-fuss and straightforward enough that when a wave of laziness hits you, you’ll easily fight it off because your chosen strategy is so simple that you’ll always gravitate towards choosing to indulge in it.
SELF-CARE SHOULD BE SELF-NOURISHING
This is looking into the “why” of what you’re doing. As discussed above, self-care is something that does not simply de-stress but your means to refill, recharge, and help make you the best version of yourself.
SELF-CARE SHOULD BE SUSTAINABLE
Remove all the factors that make you dependent on other people for self-care and choose an activity that you can do independently. If you have family members, like a thoughtful partner who offers to massage your feet then, lucky you! But please consider that as a bonus. Do not forego your self-care, and leave it to the hands of others. Continue to do something for yourself because, at the end of the day, it is not your partner’s job to do your self-care for you. It is, after all, called self-care for a reason.
Keeping in mind these things are crucial because nobody can save us but ourselves. When everybody gets too busy or preoccupied with their own lives, you should still be able to pour ample self-care to keep you sane, happy, energized, and feeling well-loved and cared for. – WITH PAU DE VERA