If You Aren’t Taking Care of You, then Who Will?

I realized throughout my conversations the importance of self-care. What do I mean by self-care? On the internet there are so many definitions of what self-care is and basically, I can sum it up by saying that it’s taking the time to look after you, not only physically, but mentally as well. Taking time to do the things that make you feel good, help you to recharge and refresh and feel able to take on whatever life hands you next.

So, how do I practice self-care?

Well, let’s start with the basics…..your health. One woman shared with me that for years she had digestive issues, didn’t know what was causing them or where they were coming from, but generally ignored them for the most part because she was too busy with other things in her life. As she got older, she realized that she was suffering unnecessarily and decided to go seek medical assistance. She stressed the importance of taking care of these things early, whereas another woman went a step farther and said “Get everything checked, I mean everything!”. A lot of health issues are manageable or potentially preventable, so getting everything checked out is essential to that success!

EAT A BALANCED DIET. I will say that my absolute favourite food is pizza, and that I eat it probably (okay definitely) more than I should. In the coming months I’m going to explore some options for eating a healthy and well balanced diet. Not only do I know it’s the best thing for me to do, but I’m also curious as to if it will change the way I feel and if I’ll lose any weight. I know that everyone’s metabolism is different, but most of the women over 40 told me that they experienced some weight gain, which they attribute to their ages, and that it was harder to take off the weight when they wanted to. I figure that with this consensus, to get into better eating habits now, is probably not a bad idea!

Exercise- I know, I know, it’s not fun (necessarily) but it’s necessary…..I need to get waaaay better at this. I realized that set routines aren’t really my style, I need to find a more entertaining activity that will still burn calories. The majority of the women I spoke with reported that their primary forms of exercise are walking and hiking, some added yoga to that and a few followed structured routines. There are so many options out there, take some time to explore what works for you. If you’ve got pain or find it hard to exercise, do some low impact stuff. For example I was listening to a podcast that was interviewing a well renowned knee surgeon out of the United States and he mentioned that if you have access to a pool (I know, wrong time of the year to be bringing up pools in most areas), and you do 20 walking laps across a pool at chest deep water, that it will give you a good cardio workout that is low impact, you just have to do it every day. Another tip- find an accountability buddy! Someone who relies on you and reports to you and does the same for you. It helps to keep the focus and feel like you’re not in it alone!

Prioritize You!

Hobbies– Hobbies can vary from person to person, I was disappointed that no one told me they collected stamps, because that was, for some reason, the first thing that I thought of when I asked if people had hobbies. Hobbies seemed to cross the lines between sports and art, and included things like reading, listening to music and traveling. I think that if you don’t have a hobby, it may be worth your while to start exploring different options. Find a project or activity that you enjoy, that you can do in your down time, or that you can schedule in for yourself, depending on how busy you are. 

Meditation- Meditation has been proven effective at calming us, improving our moods and stress levels and our overall sense of wellbeing. When people think of meditation, a lot of the time they immediately think of sitting on a floor with their eyes closed, repeating a set of words over and over again. And while this certainly can be one form of meditation, there are others that may be better suited to you. All over the internet you can find resources such as guided meditations and even step by steps on how to meditate. If videos aren’t your thing, you can check out your local bookstore or library to see what they have, but there are certainly plenty of written resources out there. 

Pampering- I don’t say this in any way other than taking some time to have someone else do the work in taking care of you. Whether this means you’re getting a massage once in awhile, you get pedicures, manicures, have an overall spa day, whatever you enjoy, take some time to do that once in a while. It’s always nice to be taken care of!

There are so many other types of self-care, that it’s too much to list in one post. Future posts will look a little further into these as well as other areas. The most important message that the ladies that I spoke with told me was to make the time to prioritize self care. The earlier in life the better. 

I used to struggle with feeling selfish or guilty if I practiced self-care, feeling like I was taking time away from something or someone else that may need my time / attention. I’ve since realized that it’s more like the pre-flight instructions around air-masks. You need to put your air-mask on before helping the people beside you. If you try and help others before securing your own, you might pass out, and be unable to help yourself or anyone else. So remember always secure your air-mask first before helping anyone else! It’s not selfish, it’s essential to feeling good, calm and ready to take on the next task!

XO Sabrina