What Does Self-Care Really Mean?

Self-care. It’s something we hear about all the time on ‘mind, body, wellness’ type of blogs. It’s a topic that moms & girlfriends  talk about with each other at a very surface level, using blanket statements like “me time”. But does anyone really think about self-care beyond sleeping in on Sundays and going for a mani and pedi?

self care pink chai living{Sometimes happiness & self-care look very similar to me. In this case, they look like a Mexican Coke, and a roadside taco in Puerto Vallarta – circa: 2014}

I’m sure there are some very enlightened people out there that just naturally understand and practice self-care, but the older I get, the more I realize I lack this basic life skill. I can feed small armies, I’m a half decent house-keeper, I’ve been driving for 20 years, and I can code a website. Self-care though is a skill that eludes me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about me time, long walks outdoors, and mani/pedis, but somehow they just aren’t doing enough to heal me these days. And I’m also not struggling for the time or money to make self-care a priority, so this is no pity party – it’s just a realization that I haven’t ever actually thought about what self-care means for me.  What would taking good care of myself actually look like?self care pink chai living {What I know for sure. Travel & time in hammocks must be a part of my self-care plan}

I have a pretty predictable burnout cycle in my life. Every 18-24 months I crash hard. I work and work, drain all my emotional energy, and then the exhaustion hits. That bone tired feeling where everything from blinking, to answering an email, and brushing your teeth is a slow painful process for a few days (or a few weeks even). I’m close to that spot right now. It’s been creeping up on me for a couple of weeks, but I know a full-force tornado of tired, anxious, and irritable is coming at me. The good news is, I plan to be prepared this time.

What does being prepared entail? I have no idea, but I’m working on a plan; a self-care plan. Sounds strange right? But stay with me here, we plan everything in our lives. We make pros and cons lists before picking a college or major, we painstakingly plan every detail of our wedding, when we travel we read all the guides and blogs we can, heck, the most organized of us even do a weekly meal plan – but when it comes to our heart, our soul, and self-care, we leave it to chance.

‘When I have more time I’ll take a few days off. When I have more money I’ll treat myself to something that makes me happy. Sound kind of a*s backwards wouldn’t you say?’

This is where I’m supposed to share my master plan for self-care right? Well guess what, I don’t have it yet. I’ve started doing some reading on deep rest, techniques for stress relief and dealing with insomnia, and general thoughts on self-care. Once I’ve compiled those further I’ll share details. I know some of the things on my list will be better sleep, learning new skills, and maybe something to do with spirituality. But that’s all I know for now.

I’m hoping this exploration and deep-dive into self-care becomes something all of the women in my life can benefit from. Let me be the guinea pig for all of us! Share your thoughts and ideas on self-care? What works, what doesn’t? What techniques have you heard about and want to try? Please share, I desperately need the help.

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2 Comments

  1. April 13, 2017 / 10:47 am

    I hope you do explore it more, you definitely deserve more self care <3

  2. April 14, 2017 / 12:39 pm

    Hi Raj,

    Your post really hit home. I think it can be really hard to practice self care when you’re going a mile a minute and spreading yourself too thin. As a mom, wife, business owner and new blogger I find myself trying to come up for air and realize something’s got to give.
    I recently decided to take a break from my blog, not because I wanted to but because I needed to. See I really love my blog but I was taking on too much and felt like my energy levels were taking a dive. I continue to write for myself (which is my self-care) and will hopefully jump back into blogging once I’m able.
    As always, thanks for your honesty and best of luck finding the self-care you’re looking for. -Krupa

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