Most of us have been taught from an early age that self-care is selfish and self-love is arrogant. But without truly loving yourself and filling yourself up first, you will have nothing left to give others. So many of us are run-down and have health issues because we have been trained to honor productivity over nourishing our bodies, our minds, and our souls. We need to prioritize self-care over productivity…or at least find a balance.

Self-care and self-love are essential to the health of our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Self-care creates an environment in which our true selves can shine. Our bodies are sacred temples of our soul. Loving and honoring ourselves is a sacred duty and privilege, and key to loving others more deeply and healing our world. When we love and care for ourselves, we recharge our bodies and minds, and clear the path for our intuition to strengthen. This will give us the capacity to make better decisions for ourselves, our loved ones, and the planet.

It took me years to unravel the belief that self-care is a luxury and that I “should” spend my time being productive. I still struggle on a daily basis between trying to be productive and giving my body what it needs because it is so deeply ingrained in me, but I’m committed to changing that. It’s easy to get sucked into our work and social media, while our bodies, minds, and souls fall to the bottom of our “to do” lists. We forget to hydrate, eat regularly or healthily, to go outside, to spend time doing more of what we love, to exercise, etc.  It’s a daily practice; a muscle we have to get used to using more in order to strengthen it.

Here are some ways to honor self-care:

Pause and check in with yourself throughout the day:

• How do I feel? Am I happy, sleepy, thirsty, hungry, etc?

• What do I feel that my body, mind, and soul need?  Maybe water, a healthy snack, a nap, massage, a break, chiropractic adjustment, exercise, etc.?

• Now give yourself what you need in that moment, or set a reminder to do what you need for yourself a little later (set an alarm or schedule it in your calendar)

Every night before you go to bed, check in with yourself:

• “What did I need today that I could have done but did not do for myself?"

• Maybe you could have really used a bath, a meditation, a nap, etc. 

• Write down how you would like to take better care of yourself tomorrow and schedule it in.

• You can even create a plan for an ideal day of self-care as a blueprint for yourself (it’s okay if you end up only doing one thing—thank yourself for doing it)

Here are some simple ways you can give yourself some love throughout the day:

• Meditate—have a daily meditation practice (see the meditation section of my blog for some meditations or check out my Instagram breathwork meditations)

• Breathe more deeply—most of us breathe shallow when we are stressed; check in on your breath throughout the day and breathe more deeply (check out my Instagram breathwork meditations)

• Drink plenty of water—fill up some 32-ounce jars in the morning with the amount of water you want to drink that day

• Eat healthy, whole foods

• Eat more or less frequently—don’t skip meals when you are busy

• Nourish your mind with a good book

• Take a bath—maybe with healing salts and essential oils

• Get a massage or do self-massage with heated oil

• Diffuse some essential oils 

• Get a chiropractic adjustment 

• Rest/Nap—even 20 minutes helps

• Sex or self-pleasure—yup, it’s important 

• Walk barefoot on the grass

• Take a walk outside in nature or sit under a tree

• Take a swim in a river, lake or the ocean

• Do exercise you love/dance/stretch—move your body

• Be loving and non-judgmental with yourself (practice self-compassion)

• Do a creative project that will bring you joy 

• Journal

• Catch up with a good friend

• Spend quality time with loved ones

• Give gratitude before you go to sleep—write down 5 things you’re grateful for and why

What is one thing you would like to do daily to show more love to yourself? Please share in the comments below. If you think this article will help one of your friends, please share it with them.