When was the last time you were stressed out?
Maybe you were on your way to work or dropping your kid off to school, running late and stuck in traffic on top of that. Or maybe you were just at home paying your monthly bills. Or maybe scrolling through media and the news.
What do you feel when you’re stressed out?
Your heart starts racing. Your palms get sweaty. Your stomach jumps into your throat. In the modern world we experience these body sensations so often that we don’t even know the difference now – of what it means to feel good in your body and when you are stressed.
Do this with me for 30 seconds:
Anything in your hand, set it aside. Plant your feet firmly on the ground. Inhale with me – in through the nose, exhale through the mouth “Aaaaaaaah”. Inhale through the nose again, exhale through the mouth “Aaaaaaaah”. Now close your eyes and repeat the same two more times. When you are ready, open your eyes.
Congratulations, you just practiced self-care!!!!
It can be that simple, but unfortunately the multi-billion dollar self-care industry doesn’t want you to think so. There is this myth that’s spread by Instagram posts and advertisements that self-care is a spa day or a pedicure at a fancy resort/salon or it’s a weekend long Netflix binge with a pumpkin spiced latte snuggling up in a pottery barn blanket. Yes, all these indulgences are great but they aren’t self care. It’s like charging your phone for 5 min, it reaches 10% and you are like I am set for the whole day, but we know that battery is not going to last long. I see people chasing these perfect self-care experiences which ultimately don’t restore them.
Most people in the world are in complete denial of what they need to do to take care of themselves. If you are one of those that start every day with a cup of caffeine, go to work and go about your day with very few breaks and finish your day rewarding yourself with Netflix and scrolling through your phone – ultimately you will burn out at a physical and emotional level or some might even experience compassion fatigue (the cost you pay for being too caring, showing too much empathy to others and not enough for yourself).
One of the greatest threats for our wellbeing is physical and emotional stress. We experience stress every day – through what we put in our bodies, on our bodies, the thoughts that we think and the choices that we make throughout the day. Some of the stressful things we put in our bodies are sugar, alcohol, excessive caffeine and processed foods – the irony is that these are also the most consumed items in the world. All this stress impacts our immune system, our energy levels, our emotional wellbeing, it’s essential that our self-help care practice does the opposite.
But yes, you are too busy to even breathe. And do you convince yourself you don’t have the time for self-care or keep coming up with excuses to postpone self-care – It’s not effective enough. When will I get the time to do 30 minutes of self-care?? How can I add this additional task to my never ending to-do list?
