Self-care is a hot topic these days. For some of you self-care may be easy to define, but others [like me] may often find themselves trying to validate what really “counts” as self-care. Before the birth of our son, I used my spare time to work. Work on career projects, career goals, and additional education. I pushed myself in my career path and didn’t think twice about taking time for self-care. If we fast-forward to present day, I now have assimilated to my new role as mom and haven’t slowed down in my career. What’s the relevance of this you ask? Well, for me, this means self-care is still a strange and challenging concept and, for now, the activities listed below complete my list.
So, what exactly “counts” as self-care, and how do I fit this into my routine?
Mindfulness
I’ve started utilizing my morning shuttle commute from the parking lot my building as a place for me to quiet my mind and allow myself to focus on accepting my feelings, thoughts, and sensations. This time of day doesn’t always work, sometimes there are colleagues I’d rather chat with. But overall, the time on the shuttle is required in order to get to and from work, and using it for self-care makes the most sense to me. Devoting these few minutes in the morning allows me to escape the shuttle ride and quiet my mind by focusing internally.
Rest
Feeling rested was something that I prided myself in for many years. But now, it’s easy to stay up way too late and have the desire to wake before anyone else in the house so that I can finish up the last few things on the never-ending list. But what is that really helping? Like many of you know this lifestyle is not sustainable. In order to combat that, there are evenings when I get in bed once my toddler is asleep, even if that means its only 7:30p.m. This helps me function if he needs me in the middle of the night. Sleeping helps in so many ways, don’t believe me? Just try it one night! I bet you’ll be hooked.
Mind/Body Connection
For me, this is my favorite activity of the week…Pilates Reformer. It is the one hour in the entire week that requires my undivided attention. It forces me to re-focus on connecting my mind and body so that I am able to achieve just a little more from each session. Pilates was something that I started a few years ago and has proven to strengthen me in multiple facets. Fitting this into my week takes a little finagling, but once the schedule is set [thanks to my husband’s understanding and encouragement], I make sure to get to every session possible. I’ve been able to prove to myself after a few classes that I’m stronger and more capable than I give myself credit for. I haven’t ever been the competitive type; however, competing with my mind and body is something that has proven to “count” as self-care for me.
PTO
Using Personal Time Off (PTO) and taking a short day trip somewhere is good for the soul. Breaking up the normal routine, skipping nap time, and trying something new as a family is rejuvenating and something I should have tried before. The most recent trip to the Twin Cities gave me the feeling of being a family, for one of the first times! We didn’t have an agenda or need to meet up with family or friends. Instead, there was one goal for the day…to have fun! And we did just that! We are very fortunate here in SE MN to be within driving distance of so many amazing places [and never forget NE Iowa is pretty awesome too!]. Are you wondering where to go? Check out these options for your own Field Trip Friday.
Perhaps these activities do not match your ideas as to what counts for self-care. That’s the thing that we have to keep remembering, we are all different and require a unique set of self-care activities in order to continue to maintain a healthy balance and keep up with the daily routines. Self-care maybe isn’t so hard for me to define these days. Instead, creating the time for these activities may be my new challenge.
I’d like to hear from you. What self-care activities “count” for you?
