Have you ever thought that yes! Today I am going to pamper myself. I will go for a nice massage session and relax my mind and body. And then suddenly something comes up and you cancel your booked appointment?
This is a common scenario amongst many people nowadays. We have become busy and engrossed in our work so much that doing something for ourselves has taken a backseat. It is not unusual for busy people to put themselves at the end of their priority list. We may not cancel on our friends, our spouses, and our parents but when it is a question of cancelling on ourselves, we do not even think twice.
Why do we do this? Why do we not take care of ourselves? Yes, we are busy but busy at what cost? We need to contemplate these thoughts and understand that as much as it is our duty to be efficient, provide for our family and take care of those around us similarly it becomes imperative for us to take care of ourselves too.
In this article let us understand this concept of self-care and go through some tips that will help you take care of yourself in your hectic schedule.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care refers to those activities individuals undertake in promoting their own health, preventing diseases, limiting illnesses, and restoring their own health. These activities are undertaken without professional assistance, although individuals are informed by technical knowledge and skills derived from the pool of both professional and lay experience. Because it is a private, largely noneconomic activity, it has gone unnoticed by most professionals in family and public health alike (1).
WHO has defined “self-care” as “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider”(2).
All these are very technical terms, in simple words self-care refers to anything and everything that you do maintain your health, peace, and sanity in this chaotic and ever hustling world.
Although self-care may be a new and upcoming term, the practice is quite old in the Eastern and Asian cultures. Traditional Chinese medicine has advocated therapeutics and practices to prevent the blockage or exhaustion of “chi”, the vital life energy. They practiced meditation and yoga to restore inner balance and burnout (3).
Importance of Self Care
Self-care plays an important role in the lives of each one of us and especially for those who are occupied and busy throughout the day. The very reason being, that it is neglected so much. As it is rightly said that “health is wealth” and health here means not just being physically healthy but mentally too. Self-care will help you in striking a balance between your work and your health without you being caught up in work alone.
Mental health is being discussed all the more after the Covid-19 pandemic. Self-care will help in promoting your mental well-being and stabilizing your mental health. Research has shown that there are many benefits of a comprehensive self-care plan like reducing stress, increasing productivity, helping achieve work-life balance, and preventing burnout and fatigue (4).
Self-care can be viewed as a multidimensional and holistic approach and can be divided into three major facets (4)
Physical self-care-
It involves activities that improve physical health, including diet and exercise, being active, consuming foods with high nutritional value, and getting plenty of sleep. Evidence shows that participating in regular physical activity can improve mental well-being. In addition, research has also shown that exercise can alleviate long-term depression.
Psychological self-care
It involves setting healthy boundaries, learning when to say no to extra commitments, and overcoming perfectionism. This will help you in taking care of your emotions and feelings.
Spiritual self-care
It includes all the activities performed for seeking a purpose and meaning in human life, like yoga, meditation, gratitude expression, etc. Practicing spiritual self-care can help you find peace between your inner feelings and emotions as well as reducing the stressors of your life and caring for your soul.
Self-Care Practices for Busy People
You may be the busiest person on earth, and you may have no time whatsoever to spare but you need to understand that you will not get time always. You need to make time for yourself. This is what your body and mind need from you. It is often said that you must treat your body like a temple and many times it is not others but we ourselves who abuse our bodies.
When it comes to self-care there is no one-size-fits-all option. We all have different needs, strengths, and limitations and our self-care should be unique to accommodate just these. This being said here are a few tips for you busy bees to help you start taking care of yourself.
Understand your needs
Many of us do not know what our body needs. It is even more forgotten when we are busy or occupied with work. For example how many of us drink water that is kept right in front of us when we are busy? it easily slips our minds only to realize it hours later.
Understand that our body needs to be taken care of before it is late. Also, each one may have its own needs. So, you need to go back and reflect on what you have to work on, these are your needs.
Related:
What is Contemplative Meditation?
How to deal with negative people?
Prioritize your needs
It is usually said that “no one is always busy, it’s just about priorities”. When you are busy you will never put your needs first as this slot is always occupied by something else. Stop doing that and make your needs your priority, everything else will happen. All that we do with our time is your choice and your decision. Keep yourself first always!
Fit in your schedule
You can very well make a self-care plan based on your needs and priorities but it will make no effect if you do not follow it. Action should be taken and for that, you can schedule your self-care in your routine. Block those calendar dates and go on a date with yourself! In this manner, you will not lose out on your important work and it will not bother you when you are off.
Set your boundaries
Many times we keep saying yes to everything that is piled upon us. We try to please people by taking on more than we can chew. Are we clowns? No! so, stop trying to please everyone and assertively learn to say no! set your boundaries. It may be difficult in the beginning but slowly those around you will also learn how you function and accommodate themselves according to you.
Technology Detox
Social media and technology always portray the good and positive sides of all. It is easy to experience what is called FOMO “fear of missing out”. You may start comparing your life with that of your peers. Also, the work-from-home lifestyle after the pandemic has made us glued to our devices so much that we have started ignoring people around us. Come out of the virtual world and focus on reality. Put off your gadgets and give yourself the much-needed detox.
Conclusion
Self-care is a unique practice that you can design for yourself by understanding your needs and requirements. You can design your self-care plan and make changes to it too. Self-care will make you grow as a person and lead to your overall development.
Always remember, no matter what, You Matter! You are Important! and you have to prioritize your health, both physical and mental, over everything else. It is your responsibility towards yourself because no one else can do it for you.
Take matters into your hands and start showing yourself that care that you so freely do for others.
Hope this article has helped you and motivated you toward self-care. Do let us know your views in the comments section below.
Author: Dr Pooja Nilgar (Content writer and editor)
References
- Levin, L.S. and Idler, E.L., 1983. Self-care in health. Annual review of public health, 4(1), pp.181-201.
- World Health Organization, 2013. Self care for health: a handbook for community health workers & volunteers. New Delhi: World Health Organization.
- PositivePsychology.com. 2022. How To Practice Self-Care: 10 Worksheets and 12 Ideas. [online] Available at: <https://positivepsychology.com/self-care-worksheets/> [Accessed 29 March 2022].
- University, V. (2018) ‘Self-Care Guide’, (January), pp. 1–21. Available at: http://www.leisuretimespa.com/~/media/Microsites/LeisureTimeSpa/Docs/lt-spa-care-guide.ashx?la=en
