Self-Care and Soul-Care: They Are Work You Need To Do.

Caring well for yourself is your responsibility in life.

It relies on you being aware and attentive to your own emotional, physical, and spiritual needs and consciously answering those needs as best as you can.

There are no set rules when it comes to self-care.

You do not have to follow a particular diet, be a vegan, practise yoga, go to church, or spend hours staring at the stars and moon, exercising, meditating, or polishing your physical body.

What self-care does mean, however, is taking care of your mind and thoughts; your physical, emotional, and spiritual health; your moods, energy, and emotions; and listening to and honouring the deepest needs of what lies within your core and soul.

Be Clear

Self-care is not about being self-indulgent, nor is it selfish.

It is something that feeds, nourishes, and fuels you.

It should never deplete you.

It is about respecting yourself and doing all you can to enhance and maintain your holistic well-being and minimising your feelings of discomfort, emotional or physical turmoil, anxiety, or stress.

Neither should self-care ever be an emergency response action only practised in times of crisis. Self-care is an ongoing personal journey and relies on developing and honouring a growing awareness of your own ever-evolving mind/body/spirit/soul needs.

Although a simple concept, you taking care of you is often not prioritised. It is all too easy to concentrate on looking after everyone else in your family first or to be so consumed by your discomfort that you overlook nurturing your health and well-being.

Don’t Know Where to Start?

There is no need to feel overwhelmed at the prospect of looking after yourself better. It is best to simply start where you are and commit to making small nourishing changes to your ways of caring for yourself, thinking, acting, being, and doing.

Paying attention to your nutrition and quality of sleep, maintaining regular exercise (as you are physically able to do so), and ensuring adequate periods of relaxation are all intrinsic elements contributing to your overall feelings of well-being. It is equally important not to neglect the continuous enrichment of your mind, spirit, and soul. You must do all you can to keep your passion and enthusiasm for life reignited –and keep the light within you burning- for that is where your true power lies.

We are all born creative beings.

We are not inanimate objects meant to stay static, waiting for life to happen.

Our souls need a creative outlet to release the comforting presence of the vitalizing power of life that lies within.

A Timely Tip

You do not need to feel a bit better or have a better day or a better week before you start putting your soul’s self-care higher up your list of priorities.

It is important simply to start where you are to take better care of yourself and consciously and consistently make small changes from there.

Practising self-care at a mind/body/spirit/soul holistic level is a form of self-leadership which involves making conscious choices and decisions about how and where you want to show up in life.

If you are going to squeeze more comfort and joy from life, it is work you need to do!