Why Self-Care is so Important
By Mickey Reed
As readers and writers, we get lost in fictional worlds. We love characters and stories so much that we visit them in every spare moment we can find throughout our day. And we sometimes shut the world out and focus solely on the book we’re reading or writing. Those things can be helpful in lots of ways. But we have to remember that, as humans, we are even more important than those characters and stories we love so much.
Self-care is the only way we can continue to read and write. If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, those ideas may dry up. We may not have as much time to read if we neglect our health. Or we won’t be able to sit and write for as long as we’d like to. So let’s inject more self-care into our lives so we can do all the things we want to do.
What does self-care look like?
It comes in lots of different forms. It could be getting exercise (gentle or intense), eating clean foods, staying hydrated, or sleeping enough. It could also be taking a bath to relax or finding a quiet fifteen minutes to meditate. It could be big, like taking a week off of work, or it could be small, like spending a half hour painting your nails.
Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated. It can look like whatever you’d like it to. Whatever feels good to you can work if it helps you out. If it’ll get your body moving at times and, at other times, get your mind quiet and relaxed, then it’s probably a good idea. My suggestion is to make a list of at least twenty things you’d consider to be self-care and do at least three of them each day. That may sound like a lot at first, but once you start making time for those three things and see how you feel, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.
self-care and do at least three of them each day. That may sound like a lot at first, but once you start making time for those three things and see how you feel, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.
How do we do it?
It can sound indulgent. Selfish. Even wrong to some of us. I get it. Who are we if we’re not taking care of others, reading a book every day, or writing 10,000 words by noon? Honestly, it can even sound scary to start taking care of yourself. The responsibility can feel crippling or overwhelming. But once you get going, you’ll feel better, and that better feeling will be addicting.
So how do we accomplish this? Well, self-care is about taking care of yourself—so let’s do that. Yes, making time to read and write can be considered self-care. But you shouldn’t put it above taking care of your health or do it so much that it’s affecting your health negatively. If you sit while you read or write, get up every half hour and walk around your house or the block. Do Pomodoro sprints with a timer to make sure you’re not sitting all day long. Or consider getting a stand-up or treadmill desk so you can stand or walk while you work.
Set goals, but start small. If you want to start going to the gym for exercise, simply make going to the gym your goal. Not the workout itself, but putting your workout clothes on, getting in your car, and driving to the gym. Whatever you do there after that is a bonus until you bump your goal up to going to the gym and getting on the treadmill for five minutes. Keep bumping it up after you’ve successfully accomplished that goal for a week or two. Give yourself wins like that whenever you can and you’ll be able to climb the mountain in no time.