Why self-care is essential even when life is going well
We’ve all had experiences of realising self-care is vital when life is challenging; we try to get more sleep, eat better food, fit in some exercise, maybe have some therapy etc. but often as our challenges subside or are resolved we believe that we can ease off or even give up looking after ourselves! Maybe unconsciously we believe that no stress = no need for self-care when we believe we are coping well with life and are back in flow.
If we make self-care a permanent part of our daily routine we are better able to cope with stressful situations when and if they arise as we will already be more resilient both physically and emotionally.
Each of us has an internal stress bucket and most of us underestimate how full our stress bucket is. Unlike the big tankers that cross the oceans, we do not have a visible plimsoll line to tell us how much of a load we are really carrying. Regular bucket emptying is vital as it allows us to off-load anxiety create more mental space and mental resilience and this in turn allows us to deal with life’s challenges more calmly and with a more rational perspective from a solution based focus rather than a problem based focus.
Exercise is a really good form of bucket emptying as is taking time each day to relax the mind through either self-directed meditation, guided meditation or solution focused hypnotherapy. There are hundreds of free examples to choose from on YouTube and just 25 minutes a day is beneficial when done consistently.