Self-Care is How You Take Power Back

Self-care is the best care. While it’s essential for us to carve out time and take better care of ourselves, many of us neglect this critical time because we are too busy or don’t believe we deserve it. Honouring this time for yourself is essential and, ultimately, can help you take your power back.

Why Self-Care is Important

So, what is self-care? Many of us practice this in different forms. According to Everyday Health, self-care is not synonymous with self-indulgence or being selfish. Instead, self-care means taking care of yourself to be healthy, be well, do your job, help, care for others, and do everything you need to and want to accomplish in a day.

It’s easy to confuse self-care with self-indulgence. Sure, having that piece of dessert you want, buying those new pair of shoes, etc., is okay, but how is it helping your mental health and adding to your well-being? We must choose intentional actions that replenish our minds and energy. A few examples of this could be taking a day off from work to focus on your mental health. You could try turning your phone off for a while to clear your mind. Try journaling, taking a walk or take a break with no distractions. Anything that allows you to focus on yourself is essential, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

How Self-Care Gives You Power Back

When you’re run down and doing too much, you’re ultimately not at your best. Of course, being overwhelmed and constantly on the move leads to burnout, but lack of energy, mental and physical fatigue, and even sickness can occur when you don’t take time to lean 100% into your needs.

I never thought about self-care until I had no other choice but to. A part of me neglecting my needs and self-care was partly because I didn’t think I deserved to pour into myself, and truthfully, I didn’t know how to. In the male community, self-care isn’t something that’s often talked about. Culturally, men are often expected to go with the flow, hide their emotional sides, and keep how they feel a secret out of fear of looking too sensitive. In reality, self-care is universal for all to practice. We all deserve to feel healthy and at our best.

Benefits of Self-Care and Showing Up For Yourself

In my experience with clients, I’ve seen how many people are in need of even doing the bare minimum for themselves. Listen, everyone is busy and everyone feels like they need to achieve some form of perfection. As I continue coaching people and sharing the importance of self-care, it’s encouraging to see people pouring back into themselves and taking their power back. When you’re not at your best for yourself, you can’t be at your best for others.

When you take care of yourself, you will see increasing benefits to your overall health such as:

Lessened anxiety and depression
Reduction of stress
Increased happiness
Improvement in focus and concentration
Better sleep
Improved mood and happiness
More energy

If you’re feeling weighed down and need time for yourself, I encourage you to assess what is going on in your life and see where you can take the load off. If you can afford to, take a step back from a few things and replace it with personal time. You deserve to feel as good as you can and be happy and healthy. You can’t be all things to all people or everything all at once, and that’s okay.

Show up for yourself and remember that you’re a priority, too.

Feature image credit Blake Connally