Self-Care

Self-care is a personal responsibility that cannot be ignored. If we ignore our body's signals, it will get our attention another way, usually in the form of illness and disease. Self-care means that you matter; you are just as important as any of your responsibilities. Your needs are important, and your contributions matter. Self-care is not selfish; it is replenishing yourself after (or before) you’ve given to your surroundings: family, friends, coworkers, strangers, even things. If we always come from a place of running-on-empty, we can never refill before the next onslaught arrives. If we take care of ourselves first, we have more to give, and give it more freely. This is more aligned with the holistic model. Self-care is different for each person, so what works well for one person may not be effective for someone else. It’s important to allow yourself room to make conscious decisions regarding your own wellness.

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People are creatures of habit, and habits are difficult to break. Brian Seaward shared that changes that really last begin one habit at a time, until it is fully mastered and incorporated into one’s daily routine (p. 350). We should not expect ourselves to suddenly follow an all-new agenda, with a completely different diet, following a completely different pattern through the day. We should instead focus on which areas need urgent attention, and then target those areas until the changes become habit.

We should be forgiving of ourselves when we fail, and resolve to try again tomorrow.

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Holistically speaking, we cannot neglect the whole body because one part is malfunctioning; we must care for our entire beings while supporting the parts that need extra attention: holistic stress management is the collaboration, not separation, of the conscious and unconscious minds (Seaward, 2021, p. 174).