One of the best things you can do to help take care of your community is to take care of yourself. It makes me so happy to see so many people showing up in new ways to support those around them and I truly hope this momentum continues. There is so much injustice in this world and we really need all hands on deck. How can we keep this momentum going? Self-care.

By now I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase “self-care isn’t selfish”, but how many of us are actually applying this idea to our daily lives?

When we don’t take care of ourselves, we lose motivation, we become less dedicated, and we succumb to burnout. If we’re burnt out, how are we going to continue showing up for others? I know that when I suffer from burnout, I have trouble finding the motivation to even do the things that bring me joy, like cooking, roller skating, or stepping onto my mat. 

Self-care comes in many forms, not just the highly spotlighted bath bomb, face mask, and candlelit bath soak, although that sounds great to me. I invite you to look at self-care in a new way. Self care can be:

1. Saying no. I am a firm believer in the importance of setting boundaries and encourage everyone I know to do so. Saying no isn’t about denying another person something, it’s about protecting yourself. Stop spreading yourself so thin, breaking into fragments that aren’t really serving anyone, yourself included. By only taking on what your current energy or circumstances allow, you are setting yourself up to be more fully present in the task at hand, facilitating the way toward better results. Say no and stick to it.
2. Eating something nutritious. Okay, I know that something super sweet or salty is a typical go-to when feeling down. I don’t know about you, but whenever I turn to junk food to make me feel better emotionally, it just ends up making me feel worse. The times when I’m feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or sad and instead turn to a cup of tea, a big bowl of fresh fruit, or some chickpea “cookie dough” (my favorite is From My Bowl’s recipe, here), I feel so much better, both physically and mentally.
3. Doing something just for fun and allowing any other benefits come as an added bonus. How many times have you turned to one of your self-care activities, only to then spiral into thinking you’re not doing the activity right or not doing the activity enough? An example that I know a lot of people turn to in order to unwind and destress is reading. Someone picks up a book with the intention of chilling out, then the thoughts come parading in. “You’re not reading enough.” “You’re wasting time by reading this romance novel, you should be reading something that you can learn from.” “Reading is wasting time.” You can replace reading with any other activity of choice intended to help refill your cup. When we get caught up in wanting there to be an ulterior reason for doing something, we lose sight of taking care of ourselves. Find the things that refill your cup and commitment to doing them just for that reason alone. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or burdened by your “self-care routine”, it’s time to change it up.

Burnout is real and we all face it eventually. The key is to have your own personal self-care toolkit ready to go. Take the time to really discover what helps you to feel recharged, lighter, and equally more grounded. Cultivate your self-care routine so that in taking care of yourself, you are better able to show up for and help take care of others.

To help you feel more grounded, I created a free ebook that you can use to add to your self-care practice. Click here to download your free copy and let me know if any of the practices covered in the book find a place in your self-care toolkit.