“Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. We need to take care of our own needs first, then we can give from our surplus, our abundance.” Jennifer Louden

Why is it that when we are stressed our self-care is the first thing to go?

Our brain goes into fight or flight mode, our perspective narrows, we get stuck in overdrive with “doing” instead of “being” and we don’t see the options we have for coping with the stress and making ourselves feel better.

We need to make self-care part of our daily lives so that when we are feeling stressed we remember that we have strategies to take care of ourselves.

I came across a lovely idea the other day that was such a simple and effective way to make sure we are looking after ourselves.   It was to create a personal self-care box.

1. Firstly, you need to collect a box.

It can be as big or small as you would like, as fancy as a specially purchased wooden chest or as simple as a shoebox- what ever suits your needs.

 

2. The next step is to decorate your box.

The sky is the limit when it comes to making the outside of your box as beautiful as the self-care strategies that are included on the inside.   Go crazy with the paint, glitter, collage materials, quotes, photos etc.

 

3. The third step is to start to fill your box with things that bring you joy and that allow you to take a ‘time-out’ for some self-care.

You might like to write these on pretty cards/ paper, which you can randomly choose, put the actual items themselves in your box or a combination or both.

It is a good idea to try and think of things that cater to all the aspects of your personality- sensory, pleasure, mental, spiritual, emotional, physical and social.

For example, you might like to include: a favourite smelling candle, bath salts, paints/pencils and paper, colouring in book, menu for your favourite take away restaurant, favourite CD, book of poetry, chocolate, guided meditation, bottle of wine, favourite DVD, tickets to the movies, crossword or Sudoku book etc.  You might also include gift vouchers to yourself to try out that new coffee shop down the road, to have a girl’s night with your friends, attend an art/craft lesson, take a long bath, do something you have never done before, create a mandala, go for a walk, make something etc.

Once you have filled your box, choose a self-care activity every day and start making time to look after yourself. When you are stressed, it is even more important to indulge yourself with the things that you love.  Do not allow your ‘doing’ brain to make you feel guilty for taking time out for self-care.