HEALTH & WELLNESS
SELF-CARE IS HEALTH CARE We hear a lot about self-care these days, and, as women, we are coming to realize that it’s okay, and even important, to take care of ourselves. But what really is self-care? by Danielle Klooster to my one’s mental happy place while eating tacos. All of those things can definitely be part of Random side note: the heading for self-care. Problem is that if that’s this section is a quote from the the sum total of how we define best movie of all time (fight me), self-care, that means we think the The Princess Bride. only way, and the only time, we take care of ourselves is by checkAnywayyyyyy, the term self-care ing out. is used a lot (overused?) these days, but I’m not so sure we really But wait, there's more get what it means. It’s not that it Yes, as mentioned, checking out doesn’t mean bubble baths and can sometimes be good selfwine or girls’ nights out or girls’ care. But what about checking in? nights in (perhaps watching the Actual self-care is about taking best movie of all time) or shopping or a trip or hot tub or lounging care of yourself in physical, mental about in jammies reading or going and emotional ways. I would add spiritual to that list as well.
You keep using that word
So, let’s talk about the ways we might check in with ourselves in practicing self-care:
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1. Check in with your physical wellbeing.
Getting enough sleep? Good nutrition? Regular physician care? Moving your body? Don’t ignore signs that your body is not managing well. A healthcare worker once told me that “2 is not normal”. This was in response to the “on a scale of 1 to 10, how’s your pain?” question. In my mind, anything less than a 4 wasn’t worth my time and attention. I’m learning that ignoring small pains and “powering through” is not a good strategy! And, with regard to nutrition, my journey is about changing the way I view it. I used to think I had to “eat clean” and take in only “good” foods (by the way, I’m not a fan of attributing morality to food) out of guilt or out of obligation, because I am “supposed to”.
