You take care of you finances, household duties, work responsibilities, and possibly look after a family. But who’s looking after you? While we may be fortunate to have people love and care for us, there is no substitute for taking care of one’s own wellbeing. Self care is an essential part of having a healthy mind, body, and spirit and to be able to nurture others.

While it would be great if self care came automatically, unfortunately it doesn’t. It is something we must mindfully incorporate into our everyday routine. Self care can mean a number of different things to different people. And it’s not to be confused with being selfish or self absorbed, it’s actually just the opposite. A healthy practice of self care makes you calmer, more focused, and less stressed; therefore more pleasant to be around and present when in the company of others. In a way, not making time for it In our lives could be interpreted into selfishness.

Doing one healthy behavior on occasion is not enough, just like all things in life that matter and make an impact, it requires practice and doing so frequently.

Practices can include committing to a diet of all organic healthy foods; taking a walk during a lunch hour several times a week to get fresh air, movement, and sunlight; meditating even for just five minutes per day; making time for a regular yoga class; scheduling a regular massage; etc. Any of these are examples and it may mean incorporating a few or maybe even all of these activities to form healthy behaviors.

Adversely, if we don’t take this essential time to better ourselves we could impose stress on our minds and body which will lead to disease, cause you to give up, experience anxiety, and come to a breaking point because of work and mental overload. Neglecting oneself can also cause you to be not fully present damaging relationships with family, friends, and coworkers.

A saying by one of the yoga instructions at the studio is, “take care of your body, so your body can take care of you.” That may just say it best!