The Practice of Self-Care

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I want to talk about love. There are a few kinds of love, and on Valentine’s Day, it’s no secret that the most celebrated form of love is romantic. While romantic love certainly serves a great purpose in life, focusing on love in regards to yourself is perhaps the most important type of love when it comes to setting yourself up for success in all forms of the word.

You’ve heard, many times, that it’s important to “love yourself.” A lot of us struggle with this, whether it is from insecurity, self-doubt, bad experiences, or simply because we don’t have enough time to really focus on ourselves. Where do we even start? The answer is with self-care. Self-care is the practice of making time for yourself amidst the chaos of everyday life – whether it is through meditation, sports, journaling, exercise, or curling up with a book, self-care is crucial to how our minds and bodies respond to life and our surroundings.

A big part of self-care is to actually nourish not just our minds, but our bodies as well. Eating properly and getting enough exercise is a way to love and respect your body by giving it what it needs. In turn, your mind will be sharp and clear, and your body will be strong and healthy. By achieving and maintaining optimal health, you become to know yourself better – your limits, your weaknesses, and most of all, your strengths. Exercise and nutrition boost confidence, which will help you shine in all areas of your life.

We are all busy. Prioritizing ourselves ahead of some other tasks in our day to day lives may not be easy, but it is incredibly worth it. Take the time to explore your own interests; what do you love to do? What relaxes you? What are you best at? What would you like to learn? By devoting time to learn a new skill, enjoy an old hobby, or fall in love with something new, you are learning about yourself. With this new knowledge, you are able to create the life you really want.

Lastly, by embracing time for yourself and exploring who you are and your own interests, you welcome positivity and more love into your life simply by being happy with yourself. What you put in, you get back.

Take care of yourself. Treat your body well – exercise your body, and train your mind. I’d love to help you learn more about yourself through exercise plans and/or nutrition – call me to set up a consultation at 920-499-3333.

Happy Valentine’s Day,