When Should You Practice Self-Care?

The rush is over, you have a little time for yourself, time for some self-care. Mani-pedi, massage, relaxing and watching a great new flick, and a night out with friends. Oh, so good. You really needed this. Afterward, you feel wonderful, happy, more relaxed. The next day you wish you could do it all again. We all need to practice self-care. When? ALL THE TIME!

Self-care is needed every day. Of course, you can’t go for a mani-pedi or a massage every day, and not watch a movie and go out with friends every night. What you can do every day is eat healthy meals, get enough sleep, get enough exercise – those are the basics of self-care you can do every day. I also know that even though we know all these things to do, we don’t do them every day.

everything in moderation, including moderation

(The thought is found in the work of Greek poet Hesiod (c.700bc) and the Roman comic dramatist Plautus (c.250-184 bc). Some days those three things are even difficult to do.

As a retired RN, who worked shifts for many years I know I wasn’t the only one who had difficulty doing any of the three things. I might eat well at home, but on a 12-hour shift, you either take food, buy food at the hospital, or order in. At night, the cafeteria wasn’t open, and the machine options were far from the best. Ordering in and buying also tend to be expensive. Even ordering in usually means pizza, Chinese, or burgers, not the healthiest, especially on a regular basis. And who can have a burger without fries, and a milkshake? Along with these food choices are coffee and caffeinated sodas to help you have the energy and stay awake all shift. To stay awake we needed that caffeine. Twelve-hour shifts were hard, and I had trouble sleeping through the day, thus the caffeine and soda.

Why we need sleep: Sleep deprivation is not healthy. We need enough, good quality sleep to ensure “cognitive functioning, mood, mental health, and cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and metabolic health.” Additionally, good quality and quantity of sleep are needed to reduce the “risk of accidents and injuries.” Deprivation of sleep can cause a myriad of disorders and has a major influence on our physical and mental health, mood, and public safety. When sleep deprivation becomes chronic there is an increased risk of mortality. (Reference)

Why we need a healthy diet: A healthy diet is necessary for nutrition and health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy diet protects from diseases such as “heart disease, diabetes, and cancer”. We need a variety of foods such as grains legumes, fruit and vegetables, and from animals. Many of us could benefit from cutting back on salt, sugar, saturated, and industrially produced trans-fats. Without a healthy diet, we are more susceptible to contagious diseases, decreased energy, poor mental health, poor physical health, and poor sleep, to name a few.

After a 12-hour day (which rarely ends at 12 hours) plus commute a 14-hour day is not unusual, who has the energy for a workout. Furthermore, you already have gotten more than your 10,000 steps. That can be ok if you work out in some way on days off. Not necessarily the best, but better than nothing.

Finding some way to get some sort of workout on workdays would be ideal. A walk outside, a bit of yoga, or stretching could be fit in.

Why we need exercise and activity:

I think many of us understand without exercise and being active we gain weight, and our muscle tone decreases. But there are many more reasons to be active. The Mayo Clinic presents several benefits of activity:

1) Weight Control, 2) Resist Health Conditions such as stroke, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, many types of cancer, arthritis, and falls, 3) Improves Mood, 4) Boosts Energy, 5) Better Sleep, 6) Adds Spark to Sex Life, 7) Fun and Social Interaction.

With all these benefits, how can we resist? Find an exercise or activity you enjoy and get started. Start slow, so that you don’t injure yourself and need to start over again. I have found that the older I get the slower I must start any new exercise routine.

These are basic requirements of the self-care we need for ourselves every day. I don’t think it is enough, though. Something we are hearing a bit more about is meditation or quiet time to reflect, or time for yourself such as reading or going for a walk outside.

The Mayo Clinic also tells us the benefits of meditation:

“Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health.”

One nice thing about meditation is that after you have finished your session there is carryover throughout the day. The Mayo Clinic also tells us that meditation can help get rid of the build-up of information overload that contributes to stress.

Depending on whether you live alone, or are in a relationship, spending time with friends or family is important. You might be able to get by not doing this every day, but social support is a necessity of life. So often shift workers need to initiate connections with family and friends because no one wants to disturb you in case you are sleeping.

Why we need to socialize:

Once again, I refer to the Mayo Clinic for information. The Mayo Clinic shares that socializing can help us keep from feelings of loneliness, hone our memory and cognitive skills, increase feelings of happiness and well-being, and it might even increase our longevity. Over the last couple of years, we have been deprived of in-person get-togethers, which are the best, but in their absence, we can use the technology we are so fortunate to have.

These basics of self-care are important to our well-being and to our life. We need these on a regular basis. We also need other forms of self-care from time to time, mani-pedi, massage, a day at the spa, a weekend away, a vacation, a splurge on a gourmet meal, or anything that you consider special for you – it might be a day alone reading.

The takeaway message – self-care is an important part of every day. If you are having trouble getting all the necessities of life into your day, let’s talk. I can help you get there; it isn’t always easy, we need to let go of bad habits, you don’t need to do it alone – I’m at your service.

drelaine @drelaineleadership.coach

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