What are the Benefits of Self-Care? Plus the Ultimate List of Self-Care!

Our number one priority has to be self-care.

It’s time to stop ignoring the topic of self-care. You’ve heard this analogy before: when you’re on a plane and the oxygen masks drops, place your own mask on before you help someone else. You can’t help anyone if you’re unconscious. We nod our heads and agree that makes sense, yet many of us continue to put ourselves on the back burner every day of our lives. In this blog post, I’ll share the importance of self-care and the benefits of self-care.

Self-care is not something that is negotiable. It is a necessary for a healthy and happy life for both for women and men. Beyond personal hygiene, self-care is when you do something that it truly for YOU and to nurture your spirit or your inner child. It’s time to lead by example and make self-care a PRIORITY.

Self-care is not personal hygiene.

Self-care goes beyond things like taking a shower, getting your hair cut, shaving and other personal care and even daily exercise. Those types of things are basic human needs and aren’t really what self-care is. I’ve been guilty of this myself; I’ve been know to say that getting my hair-cut is a part of my self-care routine. Perhaps if I was making into in a spa-like experience it would be. How many of us really think of dying our hair as ‘self-care’?

Moms are often the worst at self-care.

Admit it, if you’re a mom there are probably time when you’ve gone far too long without a shower. And then when you do take one, it feels like self-care because it’s not happening every day. Especially if you’re a new mom and it’s a real struggle to get a shower in, you need real self-care — probably more than most of us do. It’s time for us moms to priority our personal hygiene and self-care FIRST.

Why self-care isn’t selfish.

It’s hard to say when we began to feel as though it was more important to take care of everyone else before we took care of ourselves. Perhaps it coincided with the women’s rights movement and more women working outside of the home. Women then became responsible for their job, their home and their kids, with little time left for anything else. It became almost impossible to take the time to refuel and recharge. The hard truth is that we are not robots. We cannot go at full steam ahead without refueling on a regular basis. Self-care isn’t selfish, it’s a necessity.

What are the benefits of self-care?

Without regular self-care, we get burnt out. And when we are burnt out, we are more likely to get sick or injured. By implementing regular self-care this helps us to avoid burnout and stay healthier! Self-care is an essential component of our wellness journey. Treat it as importantly as you would sleep, nutrition, exercise and supplementation. And the more we take care of ourselves, the more we are better able to care for others.

How do we refuel?

Here are some ideas of what self-care might look like for you. Keep in mind that self-care for one may not be the same as for another. My recommendation is that you do at least one of these daily, while taking time to do an action that takes more than an hour at least once a month.

The Ultimate List of Self-Care

1. Day at the spa.
2. In home massage, scheduled on a weekly or monthly basis.
3. Out of home massage, scheduled as above.
4. Hiking, alone (on a marked path) or with some friends.
5. Play outside with your kids.
6. Swim in a pool, or even better a lake or ocean.
7. Float therapy.
8. Hydrotherapy, such as Scandinave Spa.
9. Ice skating outdoors.
10. Make a snow angel.
11. Watch the sunrise.
12. Watch the sunset.
13. Spend an entire day reading a book.
14. Meditation.
15. A class to learn a new skill (painting, dancing, sculpting).
16. Pedicure or manicure, if this isn’t already part of your regular hygiene routine.
17. Girls or guys night out.
18. Girls night in — sleepover party!
19. Weekend away with your BFF.
20. Take a bath, with candles and a bath bomb.
21. Dinner out at your favorite restaurant, and leave your phone at home.
22. Affirmations.
23. Trying a new sport or activity such as rock climbing.
24. Weekend away alone.
25. Walking meditation, such as a labyrinth.
26. Energy work, such as Reiki.
27. Oracle card readings (Angel cards etc.).
28. Sleep in by asking your partner to get up with the kids.
29. Journaling and other forms of writing.
30. Purchase fun stationary and pens for said writing.
31. Colouring books for adults.
32. Karaoke night.
33. Hot tub time.
34. Send Thank-You card to express gratitude for the special people in your life.
35. Take a vacation. And turn off your phone and leave your laptop at home.
36. Do Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong as a sacred practice, rather than exercise.
37. Dance like no one is watching.
38. Say no more often.
39. Say yes to more fun!
40. Weekend away with your spouse.
41. Play at a trampoline park.
42. Watch your favorite sappy movies by yourself, with a box of tissues.
43. Take out your bucket list and start checking things off.
44. Take a day off; at least once a week.
45. Turn off your phone for 24 hours.
46. Go on a picnic.
47. Celebrate the little things. Keep a bottle of bubbly in the fridge just in case.
48. Visit a museum or art gallery in the middle of the week.
49. Go to the movies, alone.
50. And by all means, have your cake AND eat it too!

What will you choose to start today? And what other activities do you already do for self-care? Did I miss anything?

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