Self Care Made Simple

What is self Care to you?

When you hear the phrase “self care,” what comes to mind? Do you think about spas and massages? Do you think about getting your favorite drink or treat? Or maybe you think about taking a nap or going on a weekend trip. However you envision your self care, I think we can all recognize that it has its benefits.  In this blog, we will be going over a few ways to make self care a simple task, and therefore more prioritized.

Simple 7 Lifestyle Podcast

Our inspiration of this post comes from Dr. Jerry Duggar of Duggar Wellness. Dr. Jerry Duggar is a chiropractor and functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner. He has over 22 years of clinical experience helping people find the best way to maintain their health. On his podcast, “The Simple 7 Lifestyle,” he goes over 5 Tips for Self Care. We will go over these tips and each of their health benefits, as well as ideas on how to implement self care more simply.

Want to hear his full episode? Click here!

Hurdles of Self Care:

Ourselves

self care pros duggar wellness logo

Our main hurdle to self care can often be ourselves! Most everyone has heard about the oxygen mask principle. This principle indicates that if you don’t secure your own oxygen mask before trying to help another, you will likely run out of oxygen yourself. In simple terms, if you don’t take care of yourself, you will be unable to take care of others. 

I'm Too Busy/I Don't Have Time for Self Care

Many times we can get caught up in the belief that self care has to be a specific set of habits that take too much time. We will believe that if we can’t do the whole list, we may as well not do anything on the list. However, the truth is that any amount of self care is beneficial. 

If you don’t have time everyday to exercise a full 30 minutes, cook a full nutritious breakfast, meditate, drink enough water, etc., then shift your focus. Try adding one habit to your routine and sticking with it. 5 minutes of stretching your body is better than never stretching at all. 

With time and application of different habits in a period, you will discover what is truly beneficial for your own life. Self care will always look different from individual to individual, and the only way to find out what will truly work for you, is through trial and error of small habits.

self care isn't selfish

Self Care is Selfish

Other challenges we can face concerning self care, is the belief that taking time to feel good is selfish. If we go back to the oxygen mask principle, we see that the notion of selfishness is false. Self care reconnects you to your best self, even your real self. True self care nourishes you so that you’ll be your best self. After-which, your best self can be around for others. 

Simple Tips to improve Self Care:

Without further ado, let’s jump into the ways we can improve our personal self care. Ways that won’t take our whole day to accomplish. Ways we can implement immediately, and see the benefits quickly.

#1 Start Your Day with a Focus on Self

Dr. Duggar suggests in his podcast that how you begin your day, will determine the direction of your day. Basically, if you want to have a good day, it starts at the beginning of it. 

Beginning the day with sacred, set-apart time for self care will go a long way. Maybe that means waking up 15 minutes before everyone to take time and enjoy the quiet of the day. It could also mean setting your priorities for the day, or even, getting your body moving. 

More suggestions from Dr. Duggar on simple self care in the morning also include: journaling, reflecting on gratitude, connecting with a higher power through prayer or meditation, reading, exercising, soaking in the sauna, or going on a walk to enjoy the nature.

Whatever your personal time looks like in the morning, make sure it is intentional. An intentional start to your day will set your mind focused on success in your goals.

#2 Create a Screen-Free Zone

How much time of the day is there a screen in front of your face? Our technology these days is truly amazing. We can do so much with a brush of our finger tips. But, we can also feel bombarded with demands. Screens make us more reachable to the world. 

Advertisments can pop up on social media or in our inboxes. Work can reach us in a text, call, email, or variety of other methods. Sometimes it can be in our best interest to take a break from the screens.

self care balance between work and life

Screen-Free self care can simply be stepping away from emails that want your attention, or advertisements showing up on your feed. Getting away from others demands to refocus and reground yourself can go a long way. Even if you take five minutes to just exist and not let something on a screen steal your attention, you’ll start feeling the benefits of this practice. 

Dr. Duggar mentions that this time can be combined with your intentional morning time, or set as a break in your work day. Create a screen-free zone whenever you feel like you need it. 

#3 Take Positivity Breaks

Positivity breaks don’t necessarily mean pondering affirmations, or saying positive things —though it totally can mean that if that’s what helps you. Taking a positivity break is more about blocking out the negative energy of the day. This habit can be easily stacked with your screen-free zone, giving us a two birds with one stone. 

While you’re taking a break from screens, you can take a walk, reflect mindfully about gratitude, listen to music, or even take a power nap! Positivity will mean something different to each person. Overall, you want to practice self care in a simple way that will uplift you during the day.

self care areas

#4 Connection

Human beings need connection to each other. On Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, human connection and relationships are placed at the beginning of needs. This connection could be something like taking time to talk to a coworker, smiling at a stranger, or giving your child a hug. It could even mean sitting down to read a book with someone, listening to music, or as Dr. Duggar says, to call someone you love. Often we will find ourselves tempted to text people to let them know we are thinking about them, but in terms of connection, a phone call is so much more meaningful. Even just calling to ask if they have 5 minutes to catch up. 

Take your self care to the next level with simple connections you make in the day. 

#5 Make Sleep a Priority

There’s a reason that we are told to get between 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is so important in our self care routine. If we get enough sleep, we will feel rested and able to accomplish our desires the next day. 

Dr. Duggar points out that just like our intentional start to the morning is directional, so will be our evening wind down. Taking time to properly destress from the burdens of the day, reflect on the good, or spend time with your spouse or family will go miles in self care. 

Find the best routine for you, in order to get the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical rest you need each night.

Conclusion:

I hope you were able to find something in this article that resonates with you. Overall, the most important thing is to find what works for you and your self care. If you’d like to hear more tips about how to build a lifestyle full of wellness and simplicity, check out Dr. Jerry Duggar’s “The Simple 7 Lifestyle” Podcast.

Dr. Jerry Duggar and his wife, Tammie, will be leading our tour to Costa Rica this April 2024. They’ll be teaching wellness practices in all different areas of lifestyle: diet, movement, sleep, and more! Wellness guidance, plus an adventure in the natural beauty and wonders that Costa Rica has to offer! 

If you liked the self care ideas from today, make sure to check out our Be Well Costa Rica Tour!

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