The Importance of Self-Care

In the last few years we have seen a significant up-tick in amount of importance placed on self-care.  What was once viewed as a self-indulgence is now being viewed as critical for emotional health and overall contentment.  For those of us who live in NYC, self-care is essential to leading a balanced life.   How you practice self-care is entirely up to you as long as you enjoy it, it enhances your life in some way, recharges your mind, body and soul and it helps you tackle the stress of every day life.

If you are dealing with anxiety, stress, or depression, Manhattan can provide an abundance of opportunities for self care.  Sometimes it is hard to find time outside of work, family and other commitments so here are a few great suggestions for taking care of yourself.    Here are some general guidelines to help you find the self-care activity that you need.

  1. Self-care is not about getting things done so you feel better.  While you may have a “things to do list” a mile long, spending an entire Saturday sloughing through holiday shopping or cleaning is not self-care.  I acknowledge that reducing stress is important, but driving people around to their appointments is not self-care for you.
  2. Self-care does not have to be expensive.  You do not need to book a spa suite at a fancy salon to give yourself a bit of time to destress.  In fact, spending too much money on self-care can cause your anxiety to increase.
  3. Self-care is about taking care of you and it should be planned.  You can plan on going into an evening or weekend with a commitment to carve out time.  It helps to discuss this with your family or significant other so they understand the importance and can get on board.

So what does self-care look like?  Well it certainly can be a spa treatment but here are a few great examples that you can start practicing today without much effort or expense.

  1. Read a book
  2. Meditate
  3. Take a walk without your phone.
  4. Unplug
  5. Exercise
  6. Go to lunch with a friend.
  7. See a movie
  8. Work on your hobby

Many times clients are confused about what self-care really means to them.  During our discussions we explore the things that are overwhelming and stressful and then we sort out what they do not like to do. We collaborate on developing a list of simple things they can do to take care of themselves. Not being able to fulfill the goal of self-care can be stressful so we come up with ideas that are reasonable and doable. Making a commitment to taking care of yourself should not be a source of stress!

 

 

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