Self care is something necessary to both men women regardless of your age. It’s very easy to get caught up with working long hours, seeing to it that the needs of spouses, friends, and family are met, all while neglecting oneself. I’ve been there and I’m sure you have. Truth is, you can’t pour into others as effectively as you would when you are in need of replenishing.
What is self care? Well, there are many answers to that question. Self care looks different for everyone. When I think of self care, I think of being pampered with massage, or getting my hair done, getting my eyebrows threaded, or anything that gives me an ‘uplift’ through all of the crazy demand that life brings. I don’t consider myself to be very high maintenance by any means. For stress, I read, journal, and disconnect from TV, social media, and sometimes even my cellphone. I look at this as self- care for my mind as it’s always running at a fast pace.
For beauty, well as you’ll read in another article of mine if you haven’t already, I do my own nails and feet. I have everything at home that I need to have salon quality nails and pedicures for a small percentage of the price for paying a salon. My hair is locked which doesn’t require too many frequent visits to the salon. I am well-versed in grooming and interlocking my hair between appointments however the self-care comes in when giving someone else the opportunity to do for you what you already know how to do.
So let’s reverse the term self-care to care-self. If these thing are absolutely necessary and extremely important by definition, why not care enough to leave it someone else to do these absolutely necessary things for us from time to time. Self care doesn’t imply that you do not have the know-how by any means. It means you care enough to let someone else handle some of these menial tasks without you feeling selfish from time time. What is your favorite form of self care? Just Speak on It!
This year, I have decided to be more attentive to my needs. Not saying that I neglect the needs of my family, but just knowing where to draw the line. I’m approaching the age of 55 and I realize that i have wasted some vauluable time trying to help others too much. Prayer and some extra pampering are definitely at the top of my self care list. Health and fitness is a goal….not there but getting there!
Way to go Yolonda and thanks for sharing! These are healthy boundaries. Afterall, we can’t give others the attention they need without giving ourselves the attention that we need AND deserve first! Better later than never! Stick with it. Life is a marathon and not a sprint.
Love this! Self care is something I learned to focus more on later in life. I always love hearing how others view self care and how they prioritize it and ideas of things to do. As they say many of us work to live in this country and I agree we must take care of ourselves to be helpful or any good to others. I enjoy facials, taking time to read (I’m guilty of not making time for this), walks, and writing 🙂 Sometimes self care for me can also just be watching something where my brain can just rest and relax.