The Power of Self-Care

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

Have you ever felt, that whatever negative is happening in my life is not something I am deliberately doing but it is still happening because of me and I feel like I need to take a control of that so that I am not blamed for something I am not doing intentionally but is still happening and I am feeling helpless about it? Confusing right? Well there are people who can relate to it.

OR have you ever noticed people who stay calm and composed in every situation no matter how difficult it can get and wondered how the hell they are able to achieve this?

OR have you ever been in a constant state of wondering what is the purpose of my life and what is it that I really want to do with my life?

That’s because technologically the world has progressed immensely but psychologically we have not moved very far.

Well I am sure a lot of people can relate to these questions and are now wondering and waiting to know what is this female planning to offer and does she have answer to all these questions.

Isn't it funny? We want answers to all the questions in life but when it comes to actually getting those answers we ignore it/don’t believe it/make fun of it/doubt it/negate it or even for that matter do not even consider it as a slightest opportunity to start with.

To tell you, I was the same. For years. Lost, not accepting and tired. Until I started practising self-care on a daily basis. FYI, I am still getting there.

NO, self-care does not mean only taking care of our body, looking good or pampering ourselves but it is much more beyond that.

And practising this overall self-care everyday starts giving you the power to take control of your life in every situation.

Sharing some of my personal experiences and guidelines defined personally for my own self might help you give an insight for your own betterment and hoping to help you find ideas that will help you to be at peace.

To start with my journey I would say my trigger point was this statement “Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others”, the usual announcement you hear when on a plane journey.

When I gave a deep thought at it I asked myself, what will happen if I am low on oxygen and still try to put on the mask on the child in the next seat?

I blocked my nose and mouth and started to feel if i can work without breathing. At first I felt uncomfortable. Then I felt suffocated. And finally I took a deep gasp of breath. In doing all this I saw my productivity reducing instantly and I couldn’t even concentrate for a minute. Forget about saving someone’s life (except if I was a trained diver or a superhero ).

Then it clicked my mind. The irritability, the fights, the resentment, jealousy, arguments, loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted, unloved, stupid, unfortunate, failure, suicidal (the list can go on) everything that involved interaction with people and loved ones were the similar outcomes just like when I could not concentrate on anything holding my breath. Hence it is extremely important to wear your own oxygen mask or self-care so that you can handle the outcomes the way you would like and not the way you would not want to.

Most of us wake up every morning, get to work and carry all this heavy baggage of suffocation, uneasiness, stress, negativity, anger, sadness etc… etc.. etc. which our soul (body + mind + emotions) doesn’t want, just like our body doesn’t want to stay without oxygen and finally forces you to take that gasp. Our soul too demands it all the time just that its not instantly fatal but a silent slow killer. That’s what triggered me to understand the importance of self-care in life, something that I had heard and knew of but never took it seriously.

YES, everyone of us has trigger points and those need not be only for some negative aspects in life but also for a lot of positive start in life too. And when I say trigger points, I mean those senses which are real, non-manipulative, motivating, believing and most importantly serious hence become life-changing.

Practising these 9 things as self-care will eventually show you the inner power you thought you never had:-

1. ACCEPTANCE = The art of accepting the reality. Understanding and accepting the difference between need and want.
2. EMPATHY = The art of listening and understanding.
3. GRATITUDE = Being genuinely thankful for little things everyday.
4. EGO = The art of understanding the thin line between self-esteem and pride. Ego is not necessarily a negative word unless used in a negative way.
5. FORGIVENESS = The art of letting it go.
6. LISTENING TO YOUR BODY = The art of good health.
7. FEEL = The art of being mindful/aware/feel the present moment.
8. BREATHE = The art of being alive.
9. REMOTE CONTROL = The art of taking control.

Once you get into this amazingly magical world of self-care you will never want to leave and finally you will start experiencing the power this practising self-care imparts on us:-

1. Power to be productive.
2. Power to be happy.
3. Power to move on.
4. Power to find your inner self.
5. Power to be positive.
6. Power to stay motivated.
7. Power to feel in control.
8. Power to take decisions.

The decision lies in our hands. We become the master of our own lives.

Thank you for reading.

Sending love. Sending happy vibes..!!