Self care, the concept is readily thrown about these days, especially since Covid changed our lives. Self care for so many of you is getting a massage, going to a spa, the gym, getting your hair and nails done, or a bomb haircut. All of these things may make you feel better in the moment, however there is so much more involved when it comes to truly caring for yourself.

So what is true self care? Self care is a conscious act that promotes physical, mental, and emotional health. It could be as simple as making sure you get enough sleep, or just going outside to get fresh air and commune with nature. Caring for your mind and body leads to your best life. There are five types of self care that will be discussed today, they are as follows, physical self care, social self care, mental self care, spiritual self care, and emotional self care. When you need self care you may start to experience symptoms of feeling overwhelmed, anxious, tired, and being withdrawn. For over a year we may all have experienced those symptoms due to the Covid outbreak.

A few years ago, struggling mentally, I came to the realization that for my own physical and mental health I had to make the choice to leave a long term marriage. I am 5’5″ and at that time weighed 180 lbs. Friends that have seen my photos from that time period swear that is not me. I was in a state of emotional trauma and eating everything in sight. I finally came to the realization after undergoing some deep thought, meditation, and journaling, I had to leave to save myself.

Physical self care, as I stated earlier, is one piece of the puzzle. I weighed 180 lbs. I had difficulty breathing, shortness of breath when climbing stairs, suffering depression, and feeling overwhelmed. I came to the realization that I had to save myself. I left my marriage, and don’t get me wrong I was in a sad state when I did , but I chose to save me. I started walking, just a short distance in the beginning, and watched what I ate within two month I lost 25 pounds. Sleeping is an important aspect of fueling your body as well and you best believe I wasn’t getting much of that. I started to sleep better after calming my mind with meditation and prayer.

Another aspect of physical self care is taking medications as they are prescribed, attending all appointments, and managing your health. Ask yourself am I getting enough exercise, and am I taking charge of my health? Take one small step to start on the path of being healthy.

A real struggle for us all over the past year and a half has been social self care. Being on lock down related to Covid restraints has made it difficult to maintain relationships. Yes we have the internet, Facebook, Instagram, Tic Tock, Zoom etc. However none of those are the same as having close connections with each other. Being deprived of human contact, touch, and being face to face, has been a real deprivation. Everyone’s social needs are different, however whatever they are we all need human contct.

I am a first hand witness to the detriments of poor mental self care. The last ten years of my nursing career I worked as a home health nurse. I loved the job because I was able to spend time with patients one on one and do the teaching nurses should be doing. I had quite a few patients who finally retired from GM after 25 or 30 years, some longer. Invariably they retired, secluded themselves on the couch and their health declined. Their whole life evolved around work, they had nothing else. Find something you enjoy and do it.

There is something called the mind body connection. It is vital to keep your mind sharp. Reading books, doing puzzles, and playing games all fuel your mind. I am active, however to keep my mind keen, I play games and Brain HQ. You can download the app on your phone or tablet. Keeping your mind active enhances your overall psychological well being.

A lifestyle that includes spiritual self care rather that be religion or spirituality is generally a healthier lifestyle. Nurturing your spirit does not have to involve religion. It can involve anything that helps you to develop a deeper sense of meaning, understanding, or connection with the universe. I myself practice spiritually, I pray and meditate. I need to state this, if you choose meditation do not start off with thinking, okay I am going to meditate for an hour. I would encourage you to start with a five minute meditation and to use a guided meditation as well. You Tube University( lol) offers many guided meditations. I would also like to introduce you to an app called Insight Timer, they have many short courses, live events, guided meditations, sleep enhancements, and more. You can do the free courses or opt to have access to the entire catalog for a small yearly fee.

When I was in my late twenties I discovered journaling and have continued to do so. I found that being able to express my emotions on paper helped to release feelings of anger, anxiety, sadness, and pain. I was one of those people who used to hold everything inside which can lead to physical illness. Journaling does not have to be entire thoughts, formal sentences, or grammar. It is a healthy way to release your thoughts and feelings. Another way to address emotional self care is talking to your partner or close friend about how you are feeling.

For me walking in wooded areas and communing with nature helps release my emotional trauma. It is important to incorporate emotional self care into your lifestyle in some way. Remember the mind body connection, if your emotions are not addressed it will impact your physical health. As well I have a passion for music and find release dancing.

Be sensible about tackling your self care. Please don’t dive into everything at once. Start by identifying one small step you can take to begin caring for yourself. Make a plan, and make changes a little at a time. Identify what you need to address first, take it slow. Compare it to walking, running, or going to the gym. Start off in little increments and build up to doing more.

I stated earlier that at one time I weighed 180 lbs., I started walking 15 minutes and worked my way up to an hour. At the same time I ate a healthy diet. Within two months my weight was down to 160 lbs. Today I weigh 155. So the choice is yours are you willing to do some real self care?

When I was in high school, I wanted to be a teacher, after volunteering as a Candy Striper at one of the local hospitals, I realized that nurses are teachers. I became a nurse and my goal is to share information to whoever wants to receive it. Two years ago Arthur (arthritis) invaded my knees. Specifically the left one was full of bone spurs. At the time I was told my right one was worse. I did have an arthroscopy ( scraping out the spurs through a small incision) on the left knee. I did some research on natural cures of arthritis. I found one, which I did a blog on last year. It is soaking golden raisins in Gin until the Gin is absorbed, and eating 9 raisins a day. I haven’t had any arthritic pain since.

That was a self care act that I recently shared with my mail lady, she is young but was experiencing pain in her knees. I told her about the raisins. It has worked for her as well. I said all that to say please do your research, natural remedies are a part of self care that involve no side effects and little expense.

Start slow, stay steady and practice self care!

Until next time,

Love, Peace, and Blessings