Self-Care

Today after work I took a self-care day. Self-care days are important for caregivers. They allow us to take care of our self and good self-care allows us to take better care of those we love. I thought today would be a good day to focus on the ways that we can practice good self-care. 

1. Exercise
2. Call a friend
3. Pamper yourself
4. Watch a TV show you love
5. Read a book (or part of one, use caregivers are busy people) 
6. Do another activity you enjoy
7. Paint your nails, or trim them
8. Plan a meal for tomorrow
9. Meditate
10. Color, write, paint or do a craft 

These are just a few ideas for good self care but I am also going to attach resources below. 

This is an interesting article about self-compassion, I think I am going to go more into Self-Compassion later but it is a good time to present this article. 
Self-Compassion

These are good resources about self-care
Self Care for Everyone
Self Care from Caregiver.org

Good Information about Caregiver Stress from the Mayo Clinic
Caregiver Stress


When I first started caring for my father I forgot to take care of me. I was so overwhelmed, stressed and tired. I gained a lot of weight during that time and developed eating habits that were not normal for me.  I also did not have time to exercise. I later found out that these are common things to happen when we begin to care for a loved one.  My adventure into self care started when a wonderful friend of mine introduced me to a group of women who are all very focused on taking good care of themselves after a discussion about my struggles with gaining weight and my newly developed poor eating habits. The woman in the group are supportive and they motivate me to stay on track. These women are very important for my journey into good self-care. 

How you are able to find time to participate in self care is up to you, but I would encourage all care givers to try to practice good self care. Try doing something for you. You will feel better afterwards and have renewed energy to get things done.

I would like for others to post what they do in regards to self care in the comments section.