Monday, January 1, 2018

5 Ways to Love Yourself (Part 1) ~ Self Care

This is #1 in the series "5 Ways to Love Yourself." Check back tomorrow for Part 2.

Self-care first, everything else second.
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It's awfully difficult to love myself when I'm hangry, tired, or feeling grimy. When there is an unmet basic human need (i.e. food, sleep, shower), I cannot focus on anything else. When I get hazy minded or find myself in a negative spiral, it helps to ask myself if I've been taking care of myself.



Self-care looks different for everyone in different situations. It can be physical (like eating and sleeping), mental, or emotional. One doesn't necessarily have to come before the other (they are all equally important), and the actual fulfillment order depends on how they work together for you.

For instance, sometimes I find it difficult to eat if I'm feeling unproductive, so I will perform a simple task to boost my self-esteem. It can be anything from opening my video editing program, to washing a few dishes, or running on the treadmill for 30 seconds. That type of task would "loosen" my tense brain and I'll feel calm enough to eat.


GET UP AND MOOOOVE!!

Self-care may also include therapy or coping mechanisms. I get counseling once a month, and the rest of the time I am my own "counselor" by journaling and writing down my thoughts and emotions. I also make use of my coping mechanisms when they are needed. One example is how I always take my sunglasses, visor, fidget spinner (or cube ☺), and earbuds with me when I go out in public to prevent anxiety and sensory overload.
                                                             Journaling is theraputic :)        I have this fidget spinner and take it with me everywhere :)

What is part of your self-care routine? Comment below!


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4 comments:

  1. Great post, and better question. Self-care is something I'm working on fostering for myself; and routines isn't my strong suit. What I have been working on is creating my own meals and being sure to nourish myself properly during the day. It's been an exciting step and each time I've made that effort it's been most rewarding. Other than that one thing I need to work on is creating a bedtime routine- brushing teeth, cleaning face and turning off technology*especially* since it doesn't help to unwind at night.

    Also thanks for sharing your self-care tips and how it's helped you.

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    1. Great job taking care of yourself! Eating well is very important. I have the same issue when it comes to turning off technology... I should actually be in bed right now, oops!

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  2. Right now I’m not getting any help at all, it’s on pause and I’m on a waiting list. I have a lot of problems I can’t handle right now.
    I keep returning to your film. Today I saw a bookmark to your blog and came here.
    This is great. Your miles ahead of me and this gives me a lot to think about.
    When it comes to hunger I don’t always feel it or notice it. People tend to tell me to eat. But I think hunger affects me. I’m not quite sure what hunger is, I can go for days without eating but I get nausea. Maybe that is hunger. When I’m sleepy it’s hard to think about anything else... so I drink too much coffee. When I need a shower or a shave, I have a hard time concentrating on other things. Or if I feel like I need to brush my teeth or something.
    And the unproductive thing is true for me, but I haven’t noticed it! Thank you. I need to think about that.
    I write poetry a lot, and I think I might get a journal also.
    Do you have one journal for thoughts and one for feelings? Do you write the date and then what you feel?

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    1. Hello Karl! I mainly use a mood tracking app called Daylio (currently) to journal, since it's much easier than writing for me. I do write in a journal (both digital and in notebooks), but not as consistently as I'd like. I like journaling when I've had a great day I want to remember. Or if I need to write my thoughts and feelings in detail for analyzing them on my own or in therapy.

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