Why Self Care is Powerful for Every Woman
Self care is powerful for every woman because it’s one of the most overlooked means of changing our lives and it’s one of the most effective tools you can use to improve the lives of the people you love. No, I’m not sleepy, I said self care is something you do for people you love. Sounds backwards, I know.
This conversation about self care begins with the idea that putting yourself last is not noble.
This Episode Covers:
- Why we neglect ourselves
- The best way to take care of others
- The definition of self care
- The dangers of ignoring self care
- The benefits of self care
- Why self care is powerful for women
- The top 3 negative situations that self care prevents
Self care is powerful for every woman because it’s one of the most overlooked means of changing our lives and it’s one of the most effective tools you can use to improve the lives of the people you love. No, I’m not sleepy, I said self care is something you do for people you love. Sounds backwards, I know.
Putting yourself last is not noble. So many of us fall easily into the habit of taking care of others and putting ourselves last. Why do we do that? Because we have servant hearts. Because we care about others and we want to take care of them. .
Well, two things about that:
- Shouldn’t we include ourselves on the list of people we love and care for?
- If we put ourselves last and can no longer care for others, then what?
What’s the Trouble with Loving Ourselves:
It feels selfish, it feels self-centered. It feels unnatural. Those are stories we tell ourselves that self care if selfish or expensive or OPTIONAL.
Being Around to Take Care of Others:
Why is it difficult to think about taking care of ourselves? Remember how on airplanes they tell you to put your own mask on before assisting others? Why do you think that is?
What is Self-Care?
Self-care is all of the stuff involved in taking care of yourself. It is doing what you need to do to feel and be your best. This includes mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Each person has their own way of taking care of themselves. This can be anything from quitting an exhausting job, to getting your hair done, or ensuring you have time to read every night before bed instead of watching the news.
Taking care of yourself should not be overlooked. There are many benefits that result from a self-care routine. And it cannot be overlooked for too long because your self neglect will cost you. If you are not taking care of yourself eventually it can lead to overwhelming stress, lack of confidence, less productivity at work and even cause deteriorating relationships with family and friends.
To really understand self-care, you need to understand yourself first. Ask yourself these questions to gain some clarity.
- What are the things I need to do to feel complete?
- What activities help me relieve stress?
- Is there anything in my daily schedule that is preventing me from taking care of myself?
- What am I willing to do to remove that?
- Am I happy with my sleep routine and am I eating healthy?
The way you answer these questions determines your self-care needs. Once you have defined your needs all you need to do is to add self care tasks to your schedule and take action to reap the benefits.
Self Care Affects Your Health
Self-care is critical for optimal health. Let’s look at a few of the amazing benefits you’ll experience over time.
Increased Self-Confidence – Your needs are now a top priority and that is a good thing. Self-confidence will naturally increase because you are simply doing the things that make you feel good.
Increased Positivity – Adding these activities to your schedule will give you something to look forward to. Now you will no longer be thinking about how bad your day is and only be looking forward to reading that book in total silence or getting your nails done after work.
Improved Immunity – Self-care allows you to give your body a break from stress, anxiety and emotional trauma which increases your immunity. Stress and depression can overload your mind and body which is crucial to reduce as much as possible.
Better Relationships – The more your needs are met the better your relationships will be with other people. When you are feeling down about yourself and don’t feel important chances are that’s what you are putting onto others.
Higher Productivity – All the benefits that have been stated above help with increased productivity at work and at home. Less stress, higher immunity, and higher self-confidence all help to boost productivity.
Remember, self-care is all about you as an individual. So, what you need to do to take care of yourself won’t be the same as your spouse, friends, and family. After this routine is put in place you will notice a significant change in your health and overall well-being.
We looked at what self care is, now let’s look at why it’s important.
Why Is Self-Care Powerful for Every Woman?
Self-care is simply doing the things you like to do that helps you feel happy, healthy, and powerful. There really is no limit to self-care because it’s all about what you like doing for yourself and your life that makes you the best you, parent, spouse, sibling, and friend. It improves all the hats that women choose to wear. It’s like ketchup, it goes with EVERYTHING!
I’m not talking about doing things you think you need to do or what others say you need to do. Do what you know you love and want. It doesn’t have to require money or be anything extravagant. Meditate, get up early, read a book, or go for a jog are some simple ideas.
Neglecting yourself and putting your needs on the back burner inevitably leads to an unhealthy life. Self-care needs to be a part of everyone’s personal schedule and shouldn’t be overlooked due to time or because someone believes it is selfish. Self-care is essential to having a healthy, productive, and happy life.
Self-care is imperative because it prevents:
- Stress – Most everyone lives with stress in their daily lives but it’s important to try to reduce this as much as possible. Plenty of medical research shows that stress can cause many negative side effects. This includes headaches, low energy, aches and pain and even insomnia.
- Burnout – Burnout is another form of extreme stress that results in physical and emotional exhaustion, negativity, lack of enjoyment and the feeling of hopelessness. Burnout typically happens when people are overworked or during events that you feel you can’t control. Self-care allows you to take a break from these activities that can result in burnout. Even if it’s a simple one-minute break where you just close your eyes and breathe, it will help reduce this type of stress.
- Negativity – Putting everyone else’s needs over your own will turn just about anyone negative. The feeling of not being important and that their needs overpower yours is a horrible feeling. The fact is, the more your needs are met the more others needs will be met too. You will experience less bitterness and resentment towards others if you take care of yourself.
If you find yourself at any point feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or just negative towards people stop what you are doing immediately. You can easily take a few minutes to refocus your mind. Maybe you need to talk to your friends and family for a few minutes or look at a few pictures that make you happy such as babies or cats. This will allow you to relax and adjust your attitude. You will be amazed at how much more productive you will be if you just put yourself first.
Episode Resources:
Be sure to check out another podcast episode, #43 with Kim Coles, where we also discussed the importance of self care:
