We’re talking about self-care, but maybe we don’t know the real scope of this word. What do you think about self-care? What measures do you take to achieve the common good? It doesn’t just consist of a healthy and balanced diet, a little exercise, or taking a few measures against the daily stress. There’s much more to it than that if we want to carry out a conscious self-care that offers us complete well-being.
The abstraction in which we live, which makes us move almost automatically, sometimes prevents us from meeting our most basic needs because we are not even aware that they are there. Have you ever considered how long it takes for your needs to be met when the body performs them? How long does it take to drink that glass of water or go to the bathroom? Your body comes first; without its strength, you won’t be able to attend anything from the outside, so meeting these basic needs is already a way to take care of yourself.
What Is Self-Care?
Self-care was first defined by Dorothea Orem, a nurse who describes it as an active phenomenon in which the person uses reason to understand his or her state of health. In other words, a gesture of awareness towards oneself, of analyzing oneself, observing oneself, taking care of oneself, and thus loving oneself.
Self-care is dialogue and understanding with oneself, living in the present, and being aware of every action we perform, evaluating whether or not our well-being benefits. It is spending time and knowing how to recognize our physical, mental, and emotional needs and, once identified, take the necessary actions to cover them.
The concept is closely related to health because, unfortunately, it is especially when we have health problems that we realize that we are not meeting our needs in the right way. But our being needs our attention in all areas (body, mind, soul) and does not hesitate to give warnings so that we look inside and take care of ourselves a little more in daily practice.
Benefits of Practicing Self-Care
– Taking care of ourselves is primarily a gesture of self-knowledge. It is to assume that we are responsible for our well-being. This awareness is a first gesture of recognition and self-love. When we see each other, we appreciate ourselves and take care of ourselves. We radiate a more anchored/insured/reinforced reflection abroad.
– The feeling of self-esteem is strengthened, and so is our level of well-being and happiness.
– It strengthens and improves the couple’s relationship because loving ourselves and taking care of ourselves will enable us to love and take better care of our partner and generally all the people around us.
– It invites us to face life with optimism because taking actions we like elevates our minds and promotes positive thoughts.
– In general, a person who practices self-care tends to be much more productive and efficient because his or her being feels cared for and can focus more on other activities.
– It is a powerful tool for personal growth, the real beginning of any process, evolution, or coaching in this respect.
– It improves the quality of our lives and ensures more extended well-being, and in terms of health, being aware of it will help us prevent diseases or recover faster from them.
Lack of time is not a reason not to practice self-care. There are many small gestures that we can incorporate into our daily lives, and that does not involve a more significant investment of time but rather a greater awareness of their performance. And when it comes to larger activities, the trick is to find something that we enjoy and that fits our lives and values.
