40-Forwarders, these self-care tips are musts! I tell you, this season of life that I find myself in continues to remind (and teach) me what is important. You best believe that self-care is now top of mind and front and centre.
I have heard, “Rona V. you need to take it easy,” many times, but now I am LISTENING.
Someone said to me recently, “Relax, do nothing,” and my response was, “What do you mean?!” The person thought I was joking. After much discussion to open my eyes of understanding, followed by some research, I am now armed and dangerous and am ready to tackle this self-care thing.
Before we go deeper into this conversation, let’s set the record straight, self-care is NOT selfish care. Oh no, we are not about that lifestyle! 40-Forward BLESSers are all about being there for others.
Self-Care is Priority
You may not recall, but this “self-care” issue was highlighted in one of the comments from the post How to CARE. How many of us are deliberate about our self-care? How many of us may be saying, “Self what?!” The Jamaicans among us would be saying, “Self-care, a wah name suh?!”
Self-care is really and truly not high on the agenda or priority list, not with everything in life pulling us every which way. There is not enough time in the day to do what needs to be done, and now I have to add myself to the list?!
Stop. Our fellow 40-Forwarder is right, “We cannot take (good) care of others if we do not take care of ourselves first.” (Selah) I will go back to the safety instructions given on an airplane, “If air masks are deployed, put on yours first and then assist those around you.”
Additionally my dears, our age bracket (40 and over) requires us to step up the self-care. 😉 Some may even say, it is too late to bend the tree, but guess what, we are going to get an “A” for effort! Let’s get into these self-care tips.
Self-Care Tips
Self-care is health care – body, mind, and soul. Every aspect of our well-being – physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and social – must be attended to in our self-care routine. In this post, we will talk about 10 self-care tips that, if included in your regular routine, you (and those around you) will reap the benefits.
1) Spend time with God
This is the most important of the self-care tips. Spend time with the one who loves and cares for you the most. Psalm 16:11(b) tells us, “In His presence is fullness of joy; at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
Be sure to create and maintain a welcoming atmosphere. Talk to Him. Be still and listen to Him.
It is a good idea to have something to take some notes (Remember: Notepad or ePad) while you are in His presence.
2) Eat well
When it comes to our aging bodies, eating healthy should be top (or close to the top) of our priority list.
40-Forwarders, Mums has picked up this “nutritious smoothie” habit. In my mind, certain foods must not be mixed and they most definitely should not be drunk. Would you believe that in my ripe mature age I am being coerced (“friendly persuasion” is the politically correct term) into drinking things such as celery juice, cucumber juice, aloe vera juice, okra juice and turmeric water? It’s just not right my dears, just not right!
Fruits, vegetables, whole foods, nuts, protein, no added sugar, low/no salt, water, water, and more water is the name of the game. Eating these items is not the easiest for me. How about you? It gives a whole new meaning to “If yuh want good yuh nose affi run.” (Translated: If you want success, you have to work hard at it.)
I am not complaining about ALL the healthy lifestyle changes, just some. 😉 After all, I am reaping some good results!
3) Exercise
My dears, forgive me, but I am going to play the age card again. At our age, this self-care tip is not optional. Go for a walk, a run, a bike ride, stretch, take the stairs, start some deep breathing exercises, do what you can to “move”.
4) Take a vacation
We have worked very hard over the years. Look back, how many times have you taken a proper vacation? You know the kind, where you:
- Went to a resort and just chilled
- Relaxed on the beach or river
- Took a long relaxing drive
- Lounged around and simply did what you wanted to do (or not)
- Went out with yourself – a solo date or vacation. (This is not a misprint.) A dear friend of mine did this recently for her birthday, and guess what, she is already planning for next year. You go girl!
Under here 40-Forwarders is where I will sneak – have a spa day – you can create one at home (staycation)or go out and let someone do it for you. I vote for the latter. This self-care tip checks all the health care boxes.
5) Affirmations
Speak well to yourself. In other words, encourage yourself. This self-care tip helps with our mindset and our emotions. It’s OK to say to yourself, I am/will:
- Intelligent
- Enough
- Proud of myself
- Blessed
- Not worry
- Relevant (I matter)
- Bold, brave, and beautiful (handsome)
- Valuable
In 1 Samuel 30:6, David found himself in great distress, but this is what it says, “But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” In moments such as these, say to yourself what God says about you in His word.
6) Live the grateful life
40-Forwarders, showing gratitude, appreciation, and saying thanks should be a way of life for us. So we are good on this self-care tip! What I want to introduce you to here is, journaling. Journaling allows us to document those grateful moments.
There is a song we often sing in church, “Roll back the curtains of memories now and then. Show me where You’ve brought me from …” Go retrieve your journal and start flipping. Now go to thanking God!
Rona V. got you – CLICK HERE for a FREE #livingthegratefullife printable to get you started.
7) Unplug
Nothing will happen if we turn off our electronics. It is not the end of the world if we leave our smartphones and other devices behind. This self-care tip wants us to, detangle and detox from (social) media.
Let me challenge you to, as you unplug, read a paper book.
This is also a great time to get out your journal and your favourite pen, and let it rip! My dears, go ahead and untangle your thoughts and free your hearts on those pages. There are no distractions or interruptions so take the opportunity to speak those things on the pages of your journal that you would not say out loud.
8) Rest
40-Forwarders, “Go to bed early and wake up early,” are curse words for a night owl like me. So you know sleep deprivation is a real thing in my life (and others like me). How come? We are awake during sleep hours and we have to be awake during awake hours. It’s rough, really rough! This is another habit I have to reverse in my ripe mature age.
The experts will tell you, your mood, memory, and immune system are shot without proper rest. They will also tell you that learning functions are reduced and stress levels can increase. So to rejuvenate our body and mind, we must rest. Guess who signed up for the “Rest” class?
9) Laugh
Laughter is indeed good medicine. Buss a laugh and relieve some stress! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Want to strengthen your immune system, soothe tension, and relieve pain? Work this self-care tip – laugh! 🙂
10) Spending time with the ones you love
Our entire well-being is better by this self-care tip. Spending quality time with those we love does great wonders!
The inclusion of self-care as a part of our regular routine is a simple change that will have a significant impact. These self-care tips are by no means exhaustive, but they are enough to get you started – go put a self-care plan together and work it!
The bottom line my dears is this, it ain’t no crime to give yourself quality time!
Drop some of your self-care activities in the Comments. And do SHARE this post.
Hi miss Campbell Good morning, I really love this month blog, But I can tell you that 9 & 1o goes for you so I hope you don’t take it lightly, love you girl keep up the good work.
🙂 🙂 🙂