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What is Self Care?

What is self care? I’ve been having these conversations a lot lately. The “wellness” industry has us thinking that self care is all about taking baths and doing face masks and having a workout routine. They certainly have a point because I do love a Sunday night bath to set me up for the week. However, I think self care is beyond that as well. These industrialized forms of self care can be band-aid solutions to the bumps we encounter in life where self care should be about truly getting to the centre of what helps you.

To me, self care is recognizing the things you need to do in a day that help you function and roll with the punches. It changes all the time. It changes day to day as well. Yes, taking a bath definitely helps with stress; it’s an important part of my routine as well. But sometimes, self care is spending an entire afternoon reading in the pool because that’s what helps you focus your mind.

I read With or Without You* in one afternoon. It comes out on the 4th so it’s just in time to pre-order! The basic story is a 40 something couple that are questioning whether to embrace their reality or move forward without each other. I loved the story, and I can’t wait to share more with you! The full review will come out later in the month, but it’s exactly the kind of book that is necessary for a good brain focus that can be good for self care.

For other forms of self care, I also like to plan my clothes for the week and put them out for the morning. It makes me seem more organized than I actually am but, for me, it means I don’t have to make a decision when I wake up. It makes mornings stress free. It ensures that I have a good start to my day within the things I can control. That’s self care. Self care is also making a to-do list before you leave work so you know what needs to be done when you get in in the morning. It’s about being able to sit down and get started on the priorities because you’ve already done the thinking for it.  It’s all self care.

In the past, I’ve done counselling as a form of self care and I never shut up about journalling. I recently started meditating again when I realized I needed a bit of time to refocus my mind and stay in the moment. For some people, it’s creating boundaries with people or limiting time on social media. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do. Like I said, it’s about figuring out what helps you function on a day to day basis.

There are so many different ways and different levels to practicing self care. It’s going to be different for everybody and the same things aren’t going to work every day. That’s why it’s a practice!

How do you practice self care?

-Daniella

*This was an ARC sent to me for free by Algonquin Press through Netgalley in exchange for a review.


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