Select Page

care-of-yourself

We all tend to be very good at looking after those we care about; family, friends, colleagues, but too often we don’t make the time to look after ourselves in the same way.

Almost every person I see in my clinic, regardless of the reason they attend, needs to take better care of themselves and don’t even realise it.

Here are a few of the warning signs that can point to you needing to take better care of yourself:

 

* You ‘beat yourself up’ for not being good enough or for failing to deal with a problem.

* You feel run down, overwhelmed and exhausted.

* You don’t like yourself very much.

* You don’t feel like there’s any time in your life just for you – you’re always putting everyone and everything else first.

 

Every one of us could do with a self-care booster from time to time.

So, lets start to take this seriously. You will be amazed at how different you can feel when you learn to take care of yourself properly.

 

Here are 5 steps to taking better care of yourself

 

[divider number =”1″ title = “Take time for yourself”]

 

We all need some time to ourselves, away from others and our daily routine – don’t be afraid to acknowledge this and act on it. Consider some of the things you like to do and make time for them in the week. Start with small things like listening to music, reading a blog or painting your nails.

 

[divider number = “2” title = “Don’t expect yourself to be perfect”]

 

We are all human and as a result are ‘perfectly imperfect’ as individuals. We all have good and bad days and at times we allow our emotions to affect our responses – it’s ok to be like this. Being kind to yourself about not being perfect is a fantastic act of self care.

 

[divider number = “3” title = “Give yourself chance to just ‘be'”]

 

Make sure you allow yourself some downtime – Read a book or magazine, watch some TV, go for a walk or spend some time on your hobby. Even better, listen to a relaxation audio. We all need to allow our body and mind some time to unwind from day-today stress. You are a human being, not a human doing. When we drive we don’t always have our foot to the floor – Take your foot of the accelerator and remind yourself how to relax, you will feel so much better for it.

 

[divider number = “4” title = “Mind your language”]

 

Remember to be kind to yourself – Be the kind of friend to yourself that you’d like others to be for you. Think in positive terms and watch how you talk to yourself – try to avoid words like ‘should’ and ‘ought’, they can create unhelpful feelings of guilt.

 

[divider number = “5” title = “Get some rest”]

 

Recharge your batteries – Make sure you get enough sleep. None of us are at our best unless we are getting enough rest. Try to go to bed a little earlier and make sure you have some time to wind down before you try to go to sleep.

 

 

Taking care of yourself is a life long process which needs to be thought about and revisited and refreshed continually throughout our lives.

Make a commitment to yourself to keep learning and growing in treating yourself with care and respect.