Tonight I wanted to do this a-z of self care because actually there is 26 or more things that are ways of self care. Just a guide at things you can do. Encouraging words to kick start your self care, or a little motivation to help you get up from a bad time in life. Self care is for everyone, so this is for everyone as well.
Ask for help – as normal as that sounds, help is hard to ask for. You want to be brave, struggle through but you really need that advice or push in the right direction. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little or a lot of help, because help is important. Learn from everyone and thing, everyday. There is always something new to learn so as for the help when you need it.
Be brave – there will always be a time when you have to put on that brave face and struggle through. Being brave doesn’t always need to be difficult or out of your comfort zone. It can be as easy as getting out of bed on a bad day. Or saying hello when really you just want to put your face down and walk on.
Cleanliness – thats right, everything should be clean. Respect your environment as you would yourself. A clean home gives the most welcoming feel and will draw you in for more homely days. You’ll love your home and the things around you because you would want the same in return. Of course you have to keep clean yourself too because personal hygiene is something everyone should have as a priority in their lives.
Decisiveness – start with something small, like dinner or what to watch on the tv. Then as you grow think of the bigger picture. Decide on your future, a holiday or family. Anything thats worth making the decision for.
Explore your boundaries – as much as comfort is amazing and you feel save in being there. Push yourself a little and work on your boundaries. Whether thats going for a walk for 5 minutes or run to the shop on your own. Find a balance in everything. Push yourself to grow but don’t go overboard because sometimes you’ll break your limit and go backwards rather than forward.
Food – again something everyone needs. Look after yourself with foods of health and goodness. A simple balanced diet that takes care of you and your body. Even a treat is good sometimes and us girls all know that a certain time of the month you just need a square or two of chocolate!
Go outside – a bit of fresh air does us all good. Your home can become your comfort zone and you just get out to go work or food shop. Making that time to love outside and be in that natural, clean air will do you the world of good. A park or something in the quieter world of outside. For me I am not overly an outside girl but I do go out to take photos often and have some sort of fresh air daily.
Harmonise your relationships – this is one of the main reasons for self care and one why you really need to take care of yourself. I for one have learnt a lot about people and myself these last few years. Stick with the positive energy and if your relationship, be it a friendship, loved one or familial one have hit a bump work on a smoothing this out. Also learn who is and isn’t a true friend to you. That is key.
Important life admin – we all just go with the flow with days and months and that is when we forget or delay booking appointments and booking things in. Remind yourself that you need a dentist appointment or book the GP. Spend some time sorting your life admin out. It can all seem daunting but we all have it and why it may be scary we need these to keep us healthy and going strong.
Justifying your emotions is pointless – sometimes emotions don’t need an explanation or justifying. They just happen and go away. There is no point in working out why they are happening. What you can do to stop it happening. You know emotions are good and feel them. Don’t worry about them.
Kick start – sometimes we just need a kick start. You can be in a stale mood for days or weeks. All you need its to kick start back into life. Push yourself into routine or help others to sort their lives out. There is no point in just plodding on for days stuck, so just get up and go. Show you who is boss.
Learn to let it go – don’t hold a grudge, its one of the worst things you can do. Learn it’s ok to let go. Do what is best for you and really is that toxic energy worth the negativity it will bring? No you want that positive life so leave that behind and move on.
Motivate yourself – when you feel down, then this is really hard to do. Somehow whether its an organised routine, or post it notes around everywhere to help you not forget. Push yourself and within a week or two you will be the most motivated you have been in ages.
No means no – its ok to say no! A very hard thing to do and that is to a person telling you to do something or following plans. If you don’t want to, don’t feel like it or you haven’t the time. Then say no. Show who is boss and make it know. Stand firmly with your decision.
Opportunity knocks – with self care you have to push yourself and believing in yourself. As much as you think you aren’t worthy of that opportunity, why would they be suggesting it in the first place? Push yourself and learn from the opportunity.
Pick me ups – there will always be something or one that annoys you. Upsets you or knocks you down. It’s how we deal with it and the aftermath. Pick ups like a chocolate bar or a yummy treat. An evening long soak in the bath and me time. Whatever it is have it on hand to help you through the negativity.
Quiet time – so important. Make sure you give yourself quiet time. It is hard to get this time, but once it’s there and you are use to it, it becomes a habit. Turn your phone off and anything to the outside world. Get a book and some journals and spend that hour on your own. A time to relax and calm down. You will really benefit from this.
Respect yourself and others – respect is something many forget and really you need to respect yourself and others in order to love yourself and life. Everything in your life needs respecting from decisions, goals and values. Respect theirs to even if you don’t believe the same thing.
Sleep – my favourite. It’s so important to have a good nights sleep. Enough sleep and a deep sleep. If it’s easy for you to sleep, then make sure you have enough. Work on making a betters night sleep if you aren’t an easy sleeper. Try oils, reading before bed or a hot lavender bath before bed.
Thankfulness – something so important. Be thankful for everything in life. For the bad times, the good times, the opportunities. Everything is your life should be something you are grateful for and thankful for. Appreciate the littlest things and the biggest of things because everything is putting you where you are today. Take opportunities to thank the things as well and appreciate why you have them there.
Unsubscribe – delete social media or people that make you think their life is amazing. Anything that gets you down, delete them. Focus on the good things and use the likes of facebook and instagram less. I personally don’t use Instagram or facebook much other than my blog and YouTube bits. It is important to love your life and love the people in it. Keep them ones.
Vulnerability isn’t a bad thing – everyone may think this is a bad thing. When actually a little bit of vulnerability is important to make you grow. Learn from it and see what happens by pushing yourself. Accept what makes you feel vulnerable in order to challenge yourself.
Water – make sure you drink. As simple as that sounds, most of us don’t drink enough. I never used to drink as much as I do now. It has become a habit now and I am a good 3 litre a day drinker. So good to drink water and keep your body hydrated. Fun fact I used to only have 1 bottle of water at work each day. Now if I haven’t had a sip or two every half hour, my throat is dry and feeling horrid.
(E)xpectations – ok not really an x but it works. Sometimes we think higher of things and people and really if we simply lowered them expectations. We can really work on the better life. Not everyone tells their story so go easy with them and let them be as they are. Make your expectations achievable, hard but don’t make them too hard that you can’t accomplish them.
You are worthy – self love and all. Anything you want to do or achieve you are worthy of it. This is all about mind and what you want. Everything is worthy for you. Yourself, body image, everything. All you are worthy off. That is self care really learning to love yourself and life more.
Zest for life – feel good everyday. Take the positives and leave the negatives. There will always be negatives that we can’t escape so focus on the positives. Have the zest in your life, to want to wake up each day and want to do your best. Happiness is all down to you and focusing on the positives will help with the happiness.
Share a self care tip for other readers below. I too would love to read them.
