The Importance of Self Care

This is not a phycological blog, but I wanted to mention self care because it is important for everyone, especially quilters!

Self Care basically means taking care of yourself. This can include physical, mental, and spiritual care. This is usually not a priority in our lives. We are constantly working at jobs, taking care of our house, our family, school, etc. There is not a lot of time for self care, but it needs to become an important part. 

An article from Southern New Hampshire University shares why self care is so important:

"In a society in which people are expected to work long hours and pass on vacation days, there is an underlying belief that we must always be productive – which can ultimately take away from opportunities for self-care. But by taking some time out to engage in self-care, you may relieve the pressures of everyday life and reset yourself to get back to a healthy point where productivity is once again maximized. Considering the costs associated with mental health services, lost wages and more, spending some time on yourself may ultimately benefit everyone.

Burning the candle at both ends, so-to-speak, comes with significant consequences, which may include but are not limited to burnout, depression, anxiety, resentment and a whole host of other negative implications. Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more. From a physical health perspective, self-care has been clinically proven to reduce heart disease, stroke and cancer. Spiritually, it may help keep us in tune with our higher power as well as realize our meaning in life."

I have found myself many times feeling drained and overwhelmed in life.  As a quilter, it effects my quality of work, my happiness, and my family life. 

When I find myself needing self care, here are some of the things I do. 

- Quilting. I know, sometimes it is frustrating, but sometimes that feeling of accomplishment and creativity is awesome! I also find doing some quilting for me, not business quilting, is relaxing too.

- Go on a walk or a run. Not only do I enjoy the physical activity, but I enjoy getting outside and enjoying nature. 

- Work in the garden. I love the look of freshly weeded garden space. I also enjoy just sitting on the porch and looking at the flowers. 

- Read a book. Reading taking me away from reality for a bit and gives me a break. 

- Meditation/Prayer. Some deep breathing exercises and mental venting can help clear the mind. 

- Make a list and prioritize it. I have found that getting things down on paper helps me get things off my mind and gives me permission to not think about it while I work on other things on the list. 

- Put together a puzzle. I especially love puzzles with quilts or rainbow colors. This is something just for me that I love doing. It is a feeling of accomplishment when I put pieces where they belong. 

When you work on self care, it is important to find things that you love and will give you a sense of meaning. I love jogging, but not everyone does. Some people view it as a form of torture! That is definitely not self care! 

There is a great podcast put on by Dan Roberts, called One More Think, that I listen to. In one of his episodes, he talks about Self Care and about the value of meaning and purpose, and how it all connects to produce genuine happiness.

"... and real effective self care has to start at the level of self awareness. Only what really moves you and feels like success and value to you will actually work to be self care. If you don't know what those things are, then the pursuit of that knowledge probably needs to be your first step. ...

"Be brave enough to not hold yourself back from that thing. It doesn't have to redefine your life or dominate your time. It needs only enhance and enrich your life and the lives of others. To connect you with a meaningful thing in some meaningful way."

Find what is meaningful for you that can provide you some self care. If you need some help figuring out what that is, I recommend you listen to One More Think. Give yourself some love! You deserve it!

Have fun quilting!