Ask Erin | The Importance of Self-Care

by ERIN SHARPLIN LOVE | [email protected]

One never really knows the damage that is caused by true disregard of self.  That is, until it is too late.  Self-care is the link between a healthy mind, body, and soul.  Self-care is preventative healthcare at its best.  The trick is finding the self-care that your mind, body, and soul will thrive from.  You must become truly self-aware and mindful.  Self-care isn’t just long hot baths and girl trips.  It is so much more.  

Everywhere we look these days we see messages, headlines, videos, and books that purport to have the keys to stress and health management, yet stress is still the main cause of chronic disease.  We, as human beings, still go from one thing to the next.  We try to do it all knowing that we can’t.  The vicious cycle won’t end until it is too late and disease has set in.  This article is our cue to stop the cycle.  Let’s start this journey together, the journey toward true self-awareness and self-care.  

Mindfulness is where it all begins.  Starting now, become mindful of everything you do.  How you feel right now reading this sentence.  When you eat, really taste your food.  When you shower, really feel the water, smell the soap, and feel the massage as you wash your hair.  

Meditation is also a very important part of becoming self-aware enough to provide the best self-care. Meditation may sound strange and foreign, but it doesn’t have to be.  Meditation simply means sitting in silence and listening only to what is happening inside of your head and heart.  You only need a few minutes a day.  

Read and connect to what feeds your soul.  This could be the Bible, a self-care book, a romance novel, or poetry.  Whatever sparks joy and calm is what you should read!

Get outside and walk in nature.  Pay attention to the sounds, scents, and air around you before putting in your earbuds.  The simple act of letting the sun hit you face and wind blow your hair can have a compounding positive affect on your mind, body, and spirit.  

Do something creative.  Start a vision board or color in a coloring book.  Paint, draw, or work in your garden.  Expressing creativity immediately releases the stress-relieving endorphins.

Create an area of items you love.  Kind of like an altar, this could be fresh flowers, a picture of your family, and one of your favorite scented candle.  Place these “altars” in every space your frequent.  Release those happy endorphins as many times a day as possible!

Journal.  Write down what is on your mind every day without editing or censoring.  Allow yourself to vent your frustrations and see what areas of your life need attention.  This process is extremely cathartic.  

Volunteer.  When you give, you receive.  It is the best remedy for a troubled soul.  

Eat fresh. You are what you eat, so eat the freshest, most organic food as possible to really nourish your mind, body and soul.  

There is no going back once you start on the journey of self-love.  I am here for it!  Are you?