We at COJ often talk about ways to practice self-care for ourselves, but it might be time for a refresher on self-care. Self-care, at its most basic level, is the practice of caring for ourselves. However, when we talk about self-care, we aren’t talking about just eating your favorite snack and watching your favorite movie over and over again. If that’s all we do, then we’re not truly caring for ourselves. Instead, we are stuck in a cycle of destructive behavior (even if it started with good intentions).
When we talk about self-care we encourage you to think about the broader picture. It means eating healthy regularly when we can. Or finding movement that feels good that we work into our routine (going for a walk once a day, take a dance class, go to the gym with a friend). It’s also finding things we love to do (knitting, writing, cooking, cleaning, working out, playing video games with friends) and doing those things fairly regularly but in moderation. Moderation is actually a key word here. We should move our bodies, but in moderation. Likewise, we should eat healthy, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have some chocolate ice cream, too. We should invest in our hobbies, but not at the expense of the rest of our lives or families.
For self-care this month, practice moderation with yourself. Permit yourself to eat the ice cream (especially with someone you love), but also push yourself to go clean out that garage space where stuff has been piling up. Permit yourself to sleep in one Saturday morning, but also push yourself to go spend time with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Find ways to start practicing self-care every day in moderation, even if it’s in a very small way, such as drinking two bottles of water today instead of one.