Self-Care Starts With YOU!

TL;DR:

Understand your self-worth by becoming aware of the thoughts you have, accept yourself as you are today, acknowledge where you want to go, and take aligned action.
Self-care actions include redefining what self-care looks like, celebrating yourself in the mirror, accepting your thoughts, listening to a podcast, dancing to your favorite song, and more!

Over the past couple of years, the concept of self-care continues to pop up time and time again. We’ve all heard the reasons why self-care is important. Self-care helps us to stay grounded. It provides us time to serve ourselves. It’s the oxygen mask theory in practice. When I am at my best, I can show my best and help others with my best in that very moment.

What I thought self-care was.

For me, self-care was always one of those things that I claimed to do, yet didn’t actually do. I’d talk the talk, but definitely was not walking the walk. And I paid for it big time. Not only was I feeling more exhausted every day, but I was losing all sense of who I was. The simple question of “what do you do for fun” would send me into a panic, because I didn’t know how to even have fun anymore. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted. And beyond that, I didn’t know what to do about it.

When we think about self-care, the limit that held me back for so long from actually trying it out was an underlying lack of self-worth. I didn’t believe at my core that I was worth self-love, and therefore any action I was taking related to self-care didn’t provide the result I was looking for. To be honest, I didn’t see the value in the self-care actions I was taking because I didn’t believe I was worthy of the care I was providing.

The second thing I noticed about my “self-care” practice was that I had an all or nothing mindset about it. I would either be spending all day engaging in self-care or no time at all. As I did more inner-work along my own self-journey, I started to realize how much this all or nothing mindset was holding me back. And so I made a commitment at that point to do something different. And so I said to myself, it’s time to take it back to the basics. It’s time to simplify my life.

Self-care starts with YOU! And it can start small, simple, and strategic. Time no longer gets to be our excuse! So let’s get out there and start taking action, even if it’s 5 minutes at a time! Click To Tweet

And simplify, I did.

My motto became: small, simple, and strategic. Small meaning that I could take action within the next 5 minutes. Simple meant that I didn’t need any extra materials. And strategic? Well, that meant it was going to align with my goals and my vision.

When I coach educators, the challenge that comes up most often when it comes to self-care is time. Isn’t it crazy how that four little word can hold such an impact on the actions we take each day? Time was always something that I felt we never had enough of. And holding this mindset limited me in engaging in self-care because I simply had a belief that “I don’t have time”. What I was really saying, was “I don’t see the value in self-care to spend my time on it.” And remember, I thought this because I wasn’t seeing the results due to my own lack of self-worth. Talk about confusing, right?!

So what did I do?

I took these four simple steps:

Become aware of the thoughts we are having.
Accept where we are today, as we are today.
Acknowledge where we want to go.
Act! Take aligned action!

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So what, then, does that action look like?

Remember we want to keep it small, simple, and strategic! So here are 10 self-care actions you can take right now to kick start your own self-care momentum!

Redefine what self-care looks like! Time available doesn’t define what self-care is or gets to be. YOU get to do that for YOU!
Mirror Moments! Each time you walk by a mirror, take a moment to celebrate YOU! Share something YOU love about yourself every time you look in the mirror! (Yes, every time!)
Listen to the thoughts in your mind, accept them, and then reclaim the love you have for yourself. The words we speak to ourselves are so critical to the care and love we hold for who we are. (And changing the language we use is one of the quickest forms of self-care, and as a bonus…it doesn’t cost any money!)
Order your favorite drink at your favorite coffee shop and before you drink it, hold it in your hands and say, “I am so deserving of the amazing drink in my hands.”
Listen to a 5-minute podcast! So many podcasts now have 5-minute editions (or podcasts blast episodes) to get you motivated in 5 minutes! A couple of my favorites are Lewis Howes and Sarah Johnson.
Put on your favorite dance song and dance it out for 5 minutes! The crazier the better!
Create a gratitude list. Set a timer for 5 minutes and brain-dump all the gratitude you hold in your heart!
Drink a glass of water. Water is so important for our soul, so swap out that extra cup of coffee for a glass of water!
Get outside! Practice listening to the beauty that surrounds you in your own backyard.
Write a letter to yourself. Share your dreams, your goals, your vision for who you are and who you want to become.

Always remember…

About Lindsay Titus

Lindsay Titus is a K-12 Behavior Specialist with a license in behavior analyst. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Lindsay coaches and trains educators on the study of behavior and how to implement evidence based behavior principles in simple and easy ways! With experience as a classroom special education teacher, and behavior specialist in public schools, residential placement, and private settings, Lindsay enjoys working with all educators looking to reignite their passion for education, connect with all students, and conquer challenging behavior in any classroom setting.