Take Time for Yourself – Self Care

Your health is more important than anything else taking place in your life. Without good health, you do not have a quality of life.  Putting your responsibilities before your health care, or self-care is the same as saying, “I don’t matter.”  By putting work, household chores, your spouse, and your children before yourself, denying yourself the time you need to replenish and heal, you are telling your mind, body, and your spirit that you do not care enough about yourself to heal, and that you are not worthy of healing.

Taking Care of Yourself First

On average, the body requires 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.  The mind, which reacts immediately to stress, requires a period of relaxation and recuperation.  The spirit requires meditation and reflection – a time to reconnect with itself, and, for some, God.  Each day, time should be set aside to care for each aspect of the self.  Unfortunately, as responsibilities to the job and family escalate each year, too many people are neglecting their health, particularly their mental and spiritual health.  Too many people still do not realize that they are spiritual beings.  They, therefore, do not acknowledge or take care of their spiritual needs.  Taking care of your spiritual needs is not about religion or God, but it can include them.  It has more to do with getting in touch with the spirit that dwells inside your physical being.  You are mind, body, and spirit, and each of these aspects of your being requires attention.

Though daily life can be hectic, and responsibilities continuously escalate, there is enough time in each day to take care of your health.  Like any other commitment, it must be planned and scheduled.  By putting your health first, you are saying to yourself, and to the people you love, “I matter.”  For your own healing and well-being, that’s an important message.

Mind, Body, or Spirit – Which is More Important

When you take care of your physical needs, you are also taking care of your mental and spiritual needs.  Similarly, when you take care of your mental needs or your spiritual needs, the other two also benefit.  The three work in tandem.  Which of the three you choose to work on first each day should depend on which feels most out of alignment.

Perhaps now more than ever before, you hear people talking about taking days off for their mental health.  Historically, people have regarded mental illness as a weakness, and therefore, it has always been the most neglected aspect of one’s health.  But at some point, to one degree or another, mental illness will likely affect you.  It is therefore just as important to take care of your mental health as it is your physical and spiritual health.

Having good health requires more than seeing a doctor once a year for your annual checkups.  And it requires more than going to the gym every day or once a week.  It means doing healthy things like eating healthy, engaging in healthy self-talk, managing your stress, and putting your healthcare needs first when your mind, body, or spirit feels unwell.  It requires a bit of your time every day, and it is a life-long commitment.  But the benefits are well worth the effort.

Lorrie Lush