I have always been told about the importance of having a self care day and making time for myself. However, this has not always been easy for me to do. There have been a few different factors that have served as barriers to me taking the time for self care. I hope as you read some of the reasons why self care can be hard for us, you are able to better understand how you can most effectively take care of yourself.
Lack of Importance
Our inability to recognize when we need self care time can hinder us from making it a priority. We have to understand the significance of taking the time to care for ourselves as it allows us to improve our overall well being. Many of us think that self care is just full of superficial activities: doing face masks, taking baths with bath salts, and watching movies. However, these activities and many others allow us to refresh our minds and give them a break. Relaxing our minds is particularly important in our current fast changing and conflict heavy world. Overall, dedicating moments to yourself can serve as the perfect opportunity to relax, reflect, and refresh.
Our Guilt
One of the main reasons we struggle to make time for our self care is our overarching guilt. If we have not been productive or have not accomplished the goals we set, it can be easy to feel undeserving of having time for self care. Guilt for being too lazy or unproductive can hinder our ability to make time to truly take care of ourselves. It is important not to equate how productive we have been to how much we deserve self care time.
Instead, we need to listen to what our mind and body need from us, which usually involves us taking a break. More often than not, we become less motivated and more tired when we continuously work without taking time to de-stress and care for ourselves. You should not let your guilt force you to ignore your needs and feed into the idea of you not deserving a break. If anything, having a refreshing self care day can increase your productivity and motivation for the future.
Time
Another barrier to self care is making time for it. When we get busy with school and personal events, it is hard to find and put aside time for ourselves. Our to do lists seem never ending, so we often feel like there is not enough time in the day to just relax. Recognizing that self care is something that deserves and needs is crucial for our well being. It is important to understand that this is a top priority; it is not something that should be dismissed. However, it can be difficult to fit in time to take care of yourself with all the school work or personal events going on. This is why we need to set aside time for ourselves and stick with that schedule. Your mental health and well being deserve the time to be taken care of.
Facing Our Feelings
Often, self care involves us being alone with our thoughts and having time to reflect. This means that we are without our usual distractions from the problems we tend to avoid. Rather than being busy completing assignments or scrolling on our phones, our minds are completely available to reflect upon the feelings we previously ignored. While it can be hard to face our problems of how we feel, we truly embrace the idea of taking care of ourselves by doing this. It can be daunting to face the feelings we would prefer to avoid, but reflecting upon these feelings can help us have some peace of mind. Do not let the fear of facing your feelings prevent you from having self care time. In fact, an ideal self care day might result in having a clearer and more intimate understanding of your once pushed down problems.
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