Did you know that September is Self-Care Awareness month? In these busy times, sometimes we need this month to remind ourselves how important we are. Simply put, self care involves taking care of your mind, body and spirit and meeting your physical, emotional, personal, and social needs. Today, we’ll discuss the importance of meeting your personal and social needs in today’s society. We’re always so busy and feel pressured to say yes to everything, but isn’t taking of us.

Personal Self-Care Ideas

• Establish your main priorities. Putting yourself first doesn’t mean you don’t care about family or other loved ones. But if you’re depleted of energy, you won’t be able to care for others well.  Many people focus on their family, health, and their career, in addition to themselves.
• Make yourself a priority. You matter in this world, and your needs and well-being are non-negotiable.
• Schedule time for the hobbies that you love. We all need some alone time, whether it’s to read our favorite book, scrapbook some photos, or knit a blanket.
• Learn to slow down. Often, we’re running our lives on the “go, go, go” mentality. It’s like life is on autopilot and we never stop. We’re trying to put our kids in every activity possible so they’ll be the best achiever, but it doesn’t allow anyone time to slow down and breathe and connect others.
• Stop listening to the harsh “inner” critic in your head. All of us have an inner voice that tells we have to be the best at everything, and we have to keep busy. It tries to distract us and call us selfish when we think of ourselves.

Social Self-Care Ideas

• Learn to say NO. In today’s society, there is always another family reunion, kid’s birthday party, or night out at the bar. Learn to say NO if you rather stay home and relax. You don’t need to justify it.
• Learn not to care what others think. This is hard and fits into the first one. It’s often why we go to everything because we don’t want our family or friends to dislike us. I’ve said NO before. They got over it. Life goes on.
• Evaluate your inner circle. Decide if you are hanging around people who are good for you. If they are not good energy for you and belittle you more than you recognized, it’s time to let them go.
• Recognize what or who triggers strong and negative reactions. Stay away from those activities or people, even if you like them.

These are just a few self-care ideas. There are so many more things you can do to honor yourself. We’ll cover more next week. If you have any questions, please contact us  at (510) 949-8668.

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