Wtf is self-care and how to do it

Something that has been popularized over the years is self-care and it’s something I talk to ALL my clients about, but like what actually is it and how do you do it? There are lots of complicated definitions out there about maintaining health, preventing disease, etc. but there is no need to complicate it. I really like to find easy, accessible solutions for my clients so I define it as just taking care of yourself. By showering, you are taking care of your physical health. By calling a friend and venting, you are taking care of your mental, emotional and social health (a triple whammy!!). 

So here are 4 examples of what I do for self-care: 

Blast music and move

This is a combination of whatever music I’m feeling in the moment and I let my body do whatever it needs to do. Sometimes I dance, sometimes I sing, sometimes I lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling. I allow my body to do whatever it needs to decompress. The only requirement is that the music is so loud that I can’t hear any thoughts.

Lie down and chill

Whenever I feel like I need quiet time, I grab a drink, I lay down on the couch or in bed, grab a cozy blanket and either scroll, watch a show or listen to an audiobook. I lay there for an hour or up to 3 depending on how my body is feeling that day.

Hobbies

I love my hobbies with a burning passion. I am currently surrounded by books, beads, board games, video games, colouring pages, puzzles and even more. Yes, I have a big desk and I absolutely need to clean it. Back to the point, these things bring me joy to do, to work on and to look at. So I keep them within arms reach (or at least within visual range because my brain operates on the out of sight, out of mind principle) and reach for them often.

Brain dump, then create a to do list

If there are way too many things to do (or too many thoughts) and I feel overwhelmed, I make a list of EVERYTHING that’s stressing me out. From tasks at my job to my parents to meal prepping to the state of the world. EVERYTHING. Once my brain finally feels a little more manageable, I reflect on this list realistically. What do I have to do today? What can I do today? What would I like to do today? I focus on today and today only because that’s the day in front of me right now. The rest of that stuff will still be on the list tomorrow.

Ps. I don’t do these everyday, I am not perfect, neither are you and that’s okay! 

If you have any questions, comments or thoughts about what I have written here, I want to hear them! Email me, let’s chat! alex@charlottepidgeon.com

Written By: Alex Zebeljan