And why is it important?
Self-care is the opposite of self-sabotage or self-control. And it isn’t just about brushing your teeth or combing your hair or wearing clean undies. Self-care is for the needs within you. Self-care is caring for your soul, your inner self, and your very being.
A self-care plan can be a great tool to help you care for all those parts of yourself that you usually don’t think about, mind, body, and spirit.
If you’re not sure where to begin, an easy tool to help you get a picture of how your life is working is the Life Wheel. This link gives you a PDF of the Life Wheel. Print it out and estimate how well your life is working for you in each of the areas and mark it on the chart. That will give you a good idea of where you most need to focus.
Building a Solid Self-Care Plan
A good self-care plan keeps you on track and reminds you where you want and need to focus. After all, you have values, goals, and a purpose in your life. This plan reminds you about what you need to do to take care of you. Using a day planner or making notes to yourself can remind you of your goals and the things you need to do to take care of your body, mind, and soul.
Providing yourself with inspirational quotes and affirmations is part of the ‘spiritual food’ that nurtures your soul. Not only do you have the reminders of what to do, but you also have little pieces of inspiration around you to remind you of why you’re doing it!
In addition to inspirational quotes, you can hang motivating pictures throughout your home and office. These pictures may be of exotic places you’d like to visit someday, or tranquil images of nature.
Your pictures may be something that you want to attract into your life or may remind you of a positive memory from your past. A photo of your family is possibly the best reminder of what’s important to you.
Tracking Your Progress
Another aspect of your self-care plan is tracking your progress. Let’s say you have a hard time getting motivated to exercise. By keeping a log of your exercise time, you can keep yourself focused on achieving a healthier you.
A food journal is also a good way to track your food choices so you can remind yourself that you need to eat nutritious foods. In addition, you can use a journal to record your mental and emotional health. Write down what’s going on inside of you so you can evaluate your feelings and proactively take care of your mental health.
You can use these aspects of planning toward anything in your life so you have that solid foundation you need to take care of yourself. Just make sure to take care of the inside as well as the outside.
Creating a Personalized Self-Care Plan
You may need to motivate yourself to initiate your self-care plan. For some, beginning any new task may be daunting. In addition, you’ll want to be sure you can find motivation along the way to help keep you on track.
Ask yourself about what has motivated you in the past. Use this as your motivation toward the things you need to do to take care of yourself.
A good motivator to keep you on track is to have a family member, friend, or spouse hold you accountable. If you slip up in your efforts to proactively take care of yourself, they will let you know so you can renew your focus and get back on course.
It’s important to have some sort of structure in place for successful self-care. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else. A good self-care plan will provide you with the vigor, attitude, and energy to enjoy life to its fullest!
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