How Do You Define Self Care?

Last Updated on September 13, 2021 by Ellen Christian

How do you define self care? Self care is one of those words that you hear a lot about in the health blogging community and on social media. It seems like every day someone is telling you what you should be doing to care for yourself. In an ideal day, I’d be able to take care of all of the recommended activities and life skills. But, I don’t always have ideal days so I need to focus on what self care really means to me. This is a sponsored post for Self Care Catalysts. I have been compensated through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company

How Do You Define Self Care?

Just what is self care? Simply defined self care includes all of the things that you do to take care of yourself. What that means exactly will depend on your goals and your lifestyle. It will also depend on the challenges you’re dealing with and that’s important to remember. My goals may not be your goals and it’s important to remember not to compare yourself with others. Yes, I do this too.

Here is what self care means to me. I’d love to know what it means to you.

Healthy Eating

One a perfect day, I’d eat entirely Paleo with a few organic, non-gmo Primal choices. I don’t have a lot of perfect days but I try really hard to eliminate processed foods or at least minimize them. I have an unspecified autoimmune disorder that is aggravated when I eat foods with artificial ingredients. So, for me, whole foods are a big part of healthy eating and self care.

Hydration

My beverage of choice is coffee, and I prefer a steady supply of it all day. When I’m not careful, I find myself closer to six cups than three. When that happens, my anxiety level goes up. Since I struggle with stress and anxiety, that’s not a good thing. Self care means drinking more water and less caffeine. I try to remember to keep a big water bottle on my desk next to me at all times. My goal is 64 fluid ounces but I rarely reach that goal. I am trying.

Moving

I love walking because it helps me manage stress and because moving is good for you. I’m not a power walker, and I don’t time myself. I have lower back issues and some mild arthritis so I walk to keep limber and because I sit all day in front of my computer. On a good day, I walk about three miles. On a bad day, I work 12 hours and rarely get up from the computer. My goal is to walk at least every other day and when I can’t walk, my goal is to get up regularly from my computer to move.

Time for Me

Taking time for yourself is important for everyone’s sanity. I know that it’s not easy for most people, myself included. I feel like I spend way too much time working, taking care of the house, and managing the other people who live with me. By the end of the day, I’m worn out and all I really want to do is sleep. Before I head to bed, it’s important to spend some time just for me whether that’s a cup of herbal tea, doodling in my favorite coloring book, taking a bath or just diffusing some essential oils while I read a book.

There are a lot of other things that I try to do to take care of myself each day but these four things are what self care really means to me. Even if I cannot have a perfect day, I can work on these four small goals to have a better day.

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