Self-care, the Best of Three Worlds in Fitness: Do’s, Don’ts, Tips and Tricks for Nurturing the Mind, Body and Soul
What comes to mind when you hear the term self-care?
Possibly it’s soaking in a bubble bath, relaxing on a picturesque beach or maybe doing a little retail therapy? Everyone’s perception will definitely be different, and though all these can be valid forms of self-care, I’d like to explore the deeper, less mentioned side of self-care in this blog post.
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What is self-care?
Though in recent times, the term self-care has expanded and has grown in importance and respect. I often still hear and see people talk about self-care as though it’s primarily based on a pampering or an overindulging experience such as shopping (especially with regards to expensive “splurge” items), trips, and/or cheat meals/snacks. Yes, these examples may be valid forms of self-care in some way, but I think it’s deeper than that.
By now, you know I like to start with a good ole definition. According to Lexico.com, self-care is “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress”.
Let’s break it down.
“…practice of taking an active role…”
Taking responsibility for your day-to-day actions is what it’s all about.
Often we wait for life’s burdens to pile up to take a break. This needs to stop! Preventative measures are always better than rehabilitative ones.
DO #1
Make time for breaks! Like I said in the last post (It’s All About Mental Health: Being Aware and Nurturing your Mind), intentional, regular, scheduled breaks are vital. Try to get at least 5-10 minutes of me time per day. I think this is a fair request, right.
“…protecting one’s own well-being and happiness…”
It’s so easy to get caught up in things: your job, your partner, your family, your house, all of it. But at the end of the day, it is important to remember that we should also be on that list. There is nothing wrong with prioritizing your well-being. Self-care is absolutely necessary, ladies and gentlemen, and it is not selfish ‘period’
DO #2
Protect your well-being and happiness! You cannot entirely rely on another person to make you happy or improve your well-being. They can contribute, but it’s ultimately on you to be happy. When you are happy and healthy aren’t you a better partner, mother, daughter, friend or employee, think about it? I am sure the answer is yes. Then what are you waiting for?
“…during periods of stress.”
Self-care can allow you to minimize and eliminate stressors in your life even before they emerge. Don’t wait for an incident to consider your well-being. Life’s stresses do not wait until you can handle them. And change is inevitable. Thus, preparation is key.
A perfect example is COVID-19. Let’s be honest, nowadays, given the pandemic, just taking a trip to the grocery can be extremely stressful. Unfortunately, many of us weren’t prepared to deal with such a sudden change in our everyday lives. Hence, building endurance and resilience through self-care is crucial.
What self-care means to me, then vs now
Storytime: Daily Routine
In the past, my mornings would start at 3:00 am. A quick shower, maybe a snack would take 30 minutes. I’d head out for my morning training run, which in total could take about 2 or 3 hours, depending on the location and the distance we need to cover. Once my run is complete, it’s time to head to the gym to finish my morning workout routine.
Then my workday begins, after a quick breakfast. Let’s say it is one of those days when specific deliverables are due. Under those conditions, I rarely leave my desk – 9 out of 10 times, there are a zillion un-read messages, personal calls are short and few in between, I am holding my pee to get through the work, my bottle of water is untouched, and I forget to have my morning snack. Thankfully 10 out of 10 times, my lunch break is full of healthy social interactions.
An hour later, and I’m back at it. Once my workday is complete, it’s time for my evening workout routine, which takes me to 6:30 pm. It’s time to head home. End-of-the-day eastbound traffic in Trinidad and Tobago usually takes me to 8:00 pm. Dinner and a shower can take 90 minutes. Prep for tomorrow another 30 minutes (maybe 60 minutes), then bed at 11:00 pm. And do it all over again.
What is wrong with this picture?
Yes, I am physically active, socializing somewhat and stimulating my brain’s cognitive skills with work. But is my lifestyle healthy?
Let’s see; I am sitting at my desk for long hours, straining my eyes, skipping snacks and water, limiting my spiritual and social interactions and only getting a maximum of 5 hours of sleep. In summary, 79% of my active hours (19 hours) were spent exercising or working and only 21% was spent resting (during my lunch break and sleeping). It’s simple; the answer is no.
At that point in my life, I was as the saying goes burning both ends of the candle. I know now that I was not feeding all of me.
We need to take stock of our lives and really prioritize and maximize the present. We are not going to stay young forever and our loved ones may not be here forever.
DONT #1
Do not waste time. Spend your time wisely by purposely adding activities that will enrich your well-being.
TRICK #1
Reconnect with yourself. We need to regularly check-in with ourselves to see if everything is as it should be or what we would like it to be. Think about what a healthy you means and needs. Who are you, who do you want to become, what do you want out of life and are you on the path to achieve your goals? Are you ultimately at peace with yourself and your actions? These are not easy questions to answer, and nobody can honestly answer these questions for you but you.
With all that said, today I would define self-care as methods of managing oneself (mind, body and soul), irrespective of the situation or stress levels. Hence, from my perspective, self-management is the key to self-care, given that it’s the active, continuous practice of executing sustainable tasks that can enrich any life.
Here are 6 types of ‘self’ you need to consider:
The self-care diet: Feeding the body, mind and soul
Your daily diet is a significant contributor to your overall health. Would you agree with that statement? Most people would identify the term diet with nutrition. There is some truth to this; however, few realize that it extends to everything you choose to consume, which is not limited only to what you eat or drink to nourish the body physically. As human beings who are constantly evolving, your mind and soul also require the right kind of nutrition.
Physical Self-care – nourishment, maintenance and movement
Nourishment, maintenance and movement are paramount for preserving a strong and healthy body. This type of self-care involves nutrition, sleep, routine check-ups (whether natural or scientific) for our sight, hearing, smell and bodily functions, and taking care of our skin, hair and nails.
Social Self-care - interactions
The second type of self-care that comes to mind is social self-care. This may be a little difficult to do, given that we are in a pandemic. However, thankfully we are in an age of digitalization that allows us to interact with anyone, anywhere and at any time.
What does social self-care mean? Well, it’s heavily based on maintaining your relationships with others, be that loved ones, friends or co-workers.
For, little to no human interaction can have a large negative impact on a person physically, mentally and emotionally.
There are 2 types of learning, personal and vicarious.
Human interactions help us build a sense of belonging, form safety nets of emotional, physical and mental support, teach us to learn through the lenses of others, helps us help others, and form part of our social development as humans. Sometimes we often underestimate our roles or contributions to others; reaching out can be mutually beneficial for both sides. Thus, this type of self-care plays an essential role in our mental and physical well-being.
You are the sum total of the 5 people you spend the majority of your time with. Ask yourself, who are you around the most? Do they help you to grow and become a better being? Are they supporting your endeavours? If not, it may be the time to change those persons.
To note, as much as human interaction can help you, it can harm you. Therefore, given that self-care is an intentional act, you should control who, what and how long you engage in social interactions. Everything in moderation, though.
That said, let’s get deeper.
Self-care: Food for the mind and soul
The body develops under movement, while the mind and soul develop in stillness. Though separate, I grouped mental, spiritual and emotional self-care.
Quite frankly, most modern-day fitness routines and suggestions have already started including these types of activities for wholesome health.
Mental Self-care - mindfulness
Like I stressed in my fundamentals series (Building the Right Fitness Mindset: It’s All About the Fundamentals, Part 4), the mind is a powerful thing. Hence, your mental state is really a reflection of your state of being; as such this type of self-care involves enriching your mind. It deals with building our mental capacity to withstand and overcome stressful times and develop and sustain our cognitive skills. Hence, activities that involve learning new things such as languages or skills, reading and puzzles are examples of mental self-care.
Spiritual Self-care - mindfulness
Contrary to what most persons believe, this could entail more than just your religion. Spiritual self-care, in general, is associated with improving the well-being of your soul/spirit. What speaks to you deeply? What makes you feel empowered spiritually? What guides your morality? Whatever it is, it’s important that you nurture this element of yourself.
Nurturing your spirit can be accomplished in many ways via meditation, prayer, acts of kindness etc.
I can also, with confidence, say that it acts as a layer to protect yourself against the several forms of stress in life. For that reason, I think this is linked to mental health because it has a large bearing on the moral decisions you make for yourself and others and how you resolve issues.
As you think, so shall you become. Based on the laws of attraction, we have the ability to consciously and unconsciously attract people, situations and things to us.
TIP #1
Attract the right people, things and situations as best as you can.
Emotional Self-care - mindfulness
Dealing with emotions is something that we cannot avoid. Hence, learning to deal with them is vital for our well-being.
Whether it be sadness, anger or happiness, expressing yourself is necessary; it’s just how you choose to do it. As such, having positive, sustainable outlets are key to helping you effectively channel (and embrace) your emotions.
Hence, being in tune with your body and emotions is a central part of emotional self-care. Like the previous forms of self-care, this type of care also helps develop buffers that can assist you in getting through tough times. Examples of emotional self-care involve journaling and reaching out to a loved one, friend, stranger, or professional.
Environmental Self-care
Though it may seem external, our environment also influences our well-being. Whether it’s fresh air, clutter, the aroma in a room, your décor or your general surroundings, the space around you could have a significant impact on your health.
Think about it, where we spend most of our time – home, work or outside – can affect us negatively or positively. Therefore, environmental self-care aims to increase the likelihood of positive reactions occurring when it pertains to those spaces.
Some examples of environmental self-care involve the use of humidifiers, paintings, family photos, organizing your space, working with natural sunlight and so on.
All of which are de-stressors in some form or fashion.
Developing your self-care regime
Self-care is a daily subjective process. And all 6 elements discussed need to be integrated into your self-care plan.
TRICK #2
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to self-care. For self-care to work for you, you need to come up with your own regime(s). Don’t allow the behaviours of others to dictate your plan.
TRICK #3
Your self-care plan should be continuous and flexible. Static plans are all good for the moment but are not sustainable.
TIP #2
Take baby steps. For some, this can a significant adjustment, thus take your time. Small, gradual adjustments over a long period are always recommended.
Here are 15 easy self-care tips/acts you can do today for free
1.
Make your bed every morning.
2.
Give yourself at least 40 additional minutes every morning to do something for you.
3.
Meditate for at least 5 minutes 3 times a week.
4.
Ensure that your personal space is clean.
5.
Do a digital detox for at least an hour a day.
6.
Schedule self check-ins.
7.
If you can, spend at least 2 minutes outside.
8.
Try freewriting and journaling.
9.
Have lunch away from your workspace.
10.
Create a reading list with targets.
11.
Say no.
12.
Call a friend/loved one once a week
13.
Unfollow 2 influencers that are not adding value to your life.
14.
Start looking/adding/listening to more motivational content on social media
15.
Move (walk, run or dance, etc.) your body at least twice per day for a minimum of 5 minutes.
Takeaways
Life, in general, requires a multi-faceted approach to deal with its ebbs and flows. As such, building buffers that strengthen your overall well-being is necessary. Hence, to accomplish this we need to continuously nurture our mind, body and soul. This involves building a strong foundation of self that addresses our physical, social, mental, spiritual, emotional and environmental needs as human beings. Put simply, building reserves for the downtimes and learning to live intentionally in the present.
DO make time for breaks
DON’T waste time
TIP, attract the right people, things and situations as best as you can
TRICK, it’s an individualistic activity, so don’t create your self-care plan based on someone else’s life
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