What is the most crucial key to overall wellness? If you asked a hundred people you would get a hundred different answers. Personally, I think the most important thing we can do for our wellness and vitality is to devote to our self-care.
It sounds simple, right?
It is in theory. But in reality we often push aside or completely abandon our self-care in favour of other things that we think are more important. This includes our to-do lists, getting the cleaning done, heading out for drinks a few nights a week, and keeping our social calendar full.
Summer is the perfect time to ramp up or sink back into your self-care. The weather is warm and the days are longer. Gone are the freezing days of winter where you could barely drag yourself out of bed.
But summer is also the time of afternoon drinks, all day barbeques, and the Christmas events which seem to last all of December.
Keeping up your self-care practice means that you need to devote to yourself every single day. No matter how busy you are or what else is going on in your life, you need to prioritise your wellbeing.
If you want to feel well this summer here are a few simple tips to help you stay committed to staying committed to self-care.
Firstly, looking after yourself needs to something that you enjoy. It should feel like a time of indulgence, rather than another item on your to-do list and it certainly shouldn’t be something you dread. So rethink what self-care means to you. It may mean taking a long bath once a week, reading in bed before going to sleep each night, getting outside and enjoying the sun, or simply drinking plenty of water.
There are no rules around what it should look like. It’s something different for all of us. Self-care means doing whatever it is that makes you feel good. Think of it as a time of indulgence – a time where the only person to please, is you.
In summer our routines typically get thrown out the window, so your ‘you-time’ practice needs to be flexible and adaptable to your often jam-packed calendar. No matter how busy you are, know that devoting time to your wellbeing is always the best thing you can do. If you’re not sure where to find any extra time for yourself you can experiment with waking earlier and utilising the quiet morning hours, or you can try spending less time on Facebook, Buzzfeed or any other time-sucking website.
This summer set an intention to show up for yourself, every single day. It doesn't matter when or what it looks like but devote at least 5 minutes to you (and you alone). Some days these 5 minutes may be in the morning, other days it maybe just before your head hits the pillow at night, or maybe even on your train trip home from work.
Aim to find a balance of flexibility and stability. Don’t worry about what your practice looks like, or how it changes from day to day. If you miss a day or two, don’t worry about it. Practice forgiveness, put it behind you, and dive back into looking after yourself as quickly as you can.
Self-care is all about you. There is no right or wrong way to do it. This summer, fully support yourself and devote time to YOU. When you wholeheartedly commit to your self-care it will help you feel the way you want to feel, so that you can enjoy as much of this fabulous season as you possibly can.
BIO Erin Williams is a self-love advocate, stillness seeker, travel addict and the author of ‘Falling in Self-Love’. Erin writes at In Our Stillness where she combines her love of the written word with her passion for healthy living, nourishing food and holistic healing. She inspires women to define their own sense of wellness, fall in love with their body and soul, and reignite their missing sense of vitality.