The Importance of Self Care

This ↑ is not okay.

Nobody is supposed to visit, much less live here, but so many of us do.

I think one of my greatest gifts as an introvert is being able to be in tune with myself. Not the me in the mirror, or my Instagram photos or the me my ego tells me I am but the real me, my true self and I can always tell when I’m straying from myself but I’m usually too giddy to be bothered. Life and ego and relationships so easily get in the way and I forget to check in, to meditate, to just sit with her, then it all comes crashing down. Something that I’m not prepared to deal with, always happens and the demons that are usually kept at bay go on a full blown beyonce-esque world tour.

I know I’m not alone in this.

We all have past experiences or inventions of our own untrained mind that we are dealing with. The important thing is to keep taking care of yourself, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually.

Here are some tips for self care that have always helped me:

1. Keep a journal

Sometimes there are things that we can’t even bring ourselves to say out loud because of fear or shame but we can write it. Not necessarily for anybody to read but just to get it out of our minds. Throwing it on paper is sometimes all I need to make me realise that my perception of a situation is so far removed from the actual reality and it brings me back to earth.

2. Take care of your body. Nourish it. Train it.

I don’t think we pay enough attention to how much our physical health affects out mental health and vice versa. Our lack of understanding of the power of our minds is one of our greatest illusions in western civilization despite our claims to be “advanced”.

3. Get in touch with your spirituality.

Again, we are so much more than flesh and blood and more often than not what we define as spirituality is a generic offspring of religion which is just a soulless mechanical routine where we enjoy an induced religious fervor that we have no genuine connection with. I am not against any religion or religion on a whole, I just think we should examine what our real connection (if any) to the what we practise is.

4. Train your mind.

For me, this ties in with my spiritual practice of meditation. Meditation helps me detox my mind and focus better. I feel better when I can focus on the moment I am in without worry about the past or future. There are so many ways you can get started with meditation and so many apps and things to help.

5. Keep growing, keep learning, keep expanding your horizons and your awareness.

While it is good to be in tune with yourself, this doesn’t mean locking yourself away from the world. Don’t be stagnant. Keep moving, keep learning, and experiencing new things.

6. Be aware of what you are feeding your mind.

Sometimes I spend way too much time watching TOWIE or  in the perfect life museums know as social media sites, forgetting that these are just curations and not real life. I dont spend enough  time reading Khalil Gibran or Rumi or SARK.

7. Seek help.

There is no shame in seeking help. If something is too big for you to deal with alone, seek help, even professional help if necessary. Don’t wait until it’s been a week since you’ve last seen the sun or another human being because that is a much deeper hole to dig yourself out of (albeit not impossible, just more complicated).