Let’s face it, life can be hectic!! At times we have so many things on our plate, it’s hard to even know where to start.

One thing to remember is that you can’t pour from an empty cup! If you continuously give, give, give and you don’t take the time to replenish your body and mind then you will literally have nothing left to serve others.

Taking care of self is so important!  Self-care is an intentional act to take care of our mental, emotional and physical health.

When we are constantly in “go mode” and we don’t take time to refill it can lead to health complications that could have been easily prevented by taking some time to ourselves.

Taking time for yourself shouldn’t be looked at as being selfish but rather as necessity in order to be your best in both your personal and professional life.

In order to practice self-care incorporate some of the following:

  • Manage Stress in a Healthy Way
    • Everyone experiences stress no matter who you are. Finding healthy ways to deal with stress will allow you to maintain health and get through times that may seem impossible. When dealing with stress, take time to first say to yourself that this is only temporary. Be sure to get plenty of exercise as it will help with your mood and release “feel good” hormones. Also be sure to get plenty of rest as research shows that lack of sleep can increase the amount stress you feel. Lastly, take time to relax your mind through meditation and just unplug from everything for a few moments every day.
  • Maintain Healthy Relationships
    • Healthy relationships are key. A toxic relationship can literally drain the life out you. Even though it may be hard to let go you must do so for your own benefit. If the relationship causes you more harm than good, then let go! Trust me it’s not worth all of the extra stress and energy.
  • Maintain Work-Life Balance
    • Don’t be a person who lives to work but rather a person who works to live. A job or career is a way to pay for a living, that’s it! When you allow your work life to take over and inhibit your personal life then it will cause harm to yourself and your family. Be sure to take to time to enjoy the fruits of your labor! Life is beautiful and you should take time to enjoy it! You only get one life, don’t spend it working!
  • Live in the Moment
    • We live in an age where we must capture everything on camera instead of just enjoying the present moment. Of course having pictures and videos of precious moments are important but what about the actual moment? Take the time to live in it!
  • Learn to Say NO
    • It took me a long time to not feel guilty for saying no but guess what I have no problem saying no now! If you don’t have the time or energy to do something then don’t do it! If a person gets mad, so what, they will get over it. If they don’t then they weren’t meant to be in your life.
  • Be Physically Active and Eat Healthy
    • Of course you saw this one coming! In order to completely implement self-care you must take care of your body. You literally only get one body so treat it well. Most of the chronic diseases of today are simply a result of people not being physically active and providing their body with the proper nutrients. So be active every day and feed your body healthy whole foods.

Self-care is giving yourself permission to pause and focus on you!

Self-care is so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”

-Eleanor Brown

Find Health in Every Day

Dr. Lindsay