Why Self-Care Has Never Been More Essential
March 3, 2020
It’s no secret that these last few weeks have shifted our way of life. Spending our days at home, between work, the endless array of everyday tasks and tending to our loved ones, it’s challenging to carve out time for ourselves. And what’s more, as we continue to adjust to this “new normal,” it is only natural for moments of fear or discomfort to arise. Yet that is precisely why now, more than ever, it is essential that we dedicate ourselves to self-care. Because in the face of uncertainty, it is by looking inward that we can find strength and solace… But how, precisely, do we tap into these reserves?
If we begin from the outside, in, there are, of course, numerous practices that we can adopt that allow us to tend to our physical well-being. Whether it’s scheduling 30 minutes of exercise each day to get oxygen flowing, or planning a nightly ritual of a hot shower with our favorite music, then slipping on our favorite skincare… By regularly offering ourselves this brief time and attention, we are actively stimulating and flooding our body with oxytocin and dopamine, the “feel good” chemicals our brain releases that allow us to not only be happier, but also boost our immune system.
But to take this one step further, perhaps we can consider self-care as much broader in scope than daily rituals.
Perhaps self-care is simply taking a moment to pause in the midst of the madness. When your phone won’t stop ringing, emails continue to flood in and your family members are asking things of you at every moment, perhaps it’s finally taking an instant to escape. To step away for 2 minutes and stand by the window in a quiet space. To focus on your breath. To block out your surroundings. To re-center.
Or perhaps self-care is simply learning to be gentle with yourself. Because you know that you are trying, striving and fighting. It’s forgiving yourself if you missed a conference call because you can’t remember what day of the week it is, have been baking far too much banana bread and have been choosing Netflix over reading Nietzsche. It’s reminding yourself that these times are challenging for us all, and remaining productive and positive when our lives have shifted is a daily battle. Sometimes, it’s just learning not to be so hard on yourself. To forgive and move forward.
And maybe self-care is learning to let go. To take this time to reflect on what and whom we allow into our lives, and to which we give our energy. To ask ourselves if we really ought to continue pursuing that potential client, friend or love interest that has shown us time and again that we’re not a priority for them. Perhaps it’s a process of learning to step away from the things that we know, as much as we desire them, are not truly what we need.
Self-care is allowing ourselves the opportunity to become realigned with who we are. To listen to and honor what we need. Allowing ourselves to cry, to release our emotions. Allowing ourselves to dance if we know that that’s what will put a smile on our face. Allowing ourselves those moments to simply be and feel free. That is self-care, and we must do it for ourselves. Because, just like on a plane, if we cannot take a moment to put on our own mask first, then we cannot do it for others. And by allowing ourselves to be our strongest, happiest and best, then we can show up for others, as well.
- The Essènci team -