In preparation for this year’s Month of March which happens to be Women’s History Month; I started to think; what could I possibly write about women on my blog considering that women wear too many hats throughout their very busy lives? Sometimes, we even forget to check in with ourselves while we are at it.
We’ve all ended up here – Adulthood. How stressful and exhausting can that get? You tell me. We no longer have anyone to do our chores for us, we’re working 40 hours a week and there is no one looking over our backs and telling us NOT to take that last row of chocolate (never mind we already had the rest of the block up till that point).
This adult self-care checklist is most likely going to seem a little different as we have evolved over time. It appears that only a little change in one area of our lives can serve as the catalyst to change our entire mindset. While we can all agree that adopting ‘self-care’ practices is very critical for our personal growth and development, however there are a few specifics I would like us to delve a little deeper into so as to help us come up with the ultimate and most complete self-care checklist.
First of all we have to honor our goals and values.
You should make sure to create your checklist in line with your goals, needs, and values. Oftentimes, we try to adopt unpopular methods to help us get through life but they only end up creating chaos and madness. Learn to be patient with yourself and with the process. Always keep in mind that it’s not just about arriving at the destination but most importantly learning through the journey, keeping in mind that what may have worked for someone else may not work for you.In order to help you get started with creating this checklist, pause for a second and think back to a time when you felt genuinely happy, right to the very core of your being. What were those factors or circumstances that were responsible for these outcomes? With this in mind, what can you then say are the non-negotiables that must appear on your self-care checklist? In my experience, mental care should be top priority because the body cannot conquer something the mind has not committed to. Set goals and boundaries for yourself that will encourage personal growth as well as take time to strengthen your sense of self worth and also work to improve the quality of your relationships.
Prioritize making out time for short breaks and long rests.
This helps improve your level of calmness and also helps you stay in touch with what’s important about life. Yes, this could also imply taking a break from your beloved electronic device; phones, laptops etc.(sorry about that!), but you’re going to have to say NO to them when the need for it arises.You don’t need to make up any excuse to anyone for missing a phone call or skipping a social event as long as you’re prioritizing your self-care and your mental health condition. You can capture these in three simple steps; STOP! REVIVE! SURVIVE!
Do not ignore your emotions.
Ever had those moments when you’re feeling very sad but can’t really say why you feel that way? Well, you’re not alone as there are too many of us who have also been there and back. Our advice; try to break down those feelings to its smallest bits so you can understand them better and also don’t ever dismiss them.Catch all the feeling there is to catch even if you’re having trouble understanding why you feel that way. Is it about the kind of people you’re surrounded with? Is it about your relationships, career, financial status or general lifestyle? Try to break it down. You can even decide to practise regular meditation like us here at my high school WhatsApp chat and we can confirm to you since we’ve been doing it, we feel so much better for it and are not easily exposed to emotional outbreaks.
Get physical too!
Physical self-care will comprise all those physical activities that will help keep your body in perfect harmony. Activities like;Sleep: it’s either we’re getting too much of it or. In most cases, not enough of it. However, please note that it is very important to get up to 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night if we’re to sustain improvements in our moods, concentration, and general wellbeing.
Nutrition: Eating a balanced diet (like we always harp on about) and choosing foods that nourish your body is an absolute necessity if you want to feel your best.
Exercise: Remember to always make out time to move your body in ways that please and relax you so it doesn’t feel like its hard work. That way, you’re more likely to keep repeating the same routine everyday. Exercising for 30 minutes each day will help piece together all items on your self-care checklist into one very tidy little bow, helping you eat better, sleep better and eventually give you that feeling of extreme pleasure and happiness as you’ll be achieving all your set goals. What’s not to love about that?!Guess now is the right time to get out those journals and note apps and get writing! We’re dying to see what you’ll come up with on your self-care checklist. Remember, self-care is holistic. Take care of your mind, your emotions, your body, and your soul
- Tapping
This is simply a meditation technique that is closely related to acupressure. By tapping on certain points of our body, we can release feelings of stress or shame and shift our mood into more positive feelings. You can choose to try a beginner’s tapping exercise today.
Takeaways:
- We all experience negative emotions at some point in our lives —it’s called ‘Being Human’.
- For some people, negative emotions can be compounded by feelings of shame or stress because our mind sternly rejects these feelings as being really terrible and somehow puts us under pressure to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
- Tapping can help us explore, accept, and release these negative feelings, instead of staying hung up in our struggle to reject or avoid these feelings.
- Replay these words in your mind: I ACCEPT MY FEELINGS AS THEY ARE
“Dear Selfcare.
You are worth the quiet moment.
You are worth the deeper breath.
You are worth the time it takes.
To slow down, be still, and rest.
Little by Little, Day by day
What is meant for you will find its way!”
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