Self-care, far from being a selfish act…

We have concluded that without habits that directly impact these pillars, it is impossible to have an adequate state of both physical and mental health, and because of this, people end up burning out: getting sick, getting frustrated, or simply “throwing in the towel”.

But there’s something that involves all these pillars, and that culturally we haven’t been taught, and that is self-care. We have heard countless times the analogy of self-care with the speech of flight attendants when in case of a change in pressure, they ask us to put on the oxygen mask first before assisting our companions. But why don’t we do something about it even though we understand the message?

And it’s because traditionally we still interpret that thinking of ourselves first is an act of selfishness, when it is quite the opposite.

How can we give water from an empty well?

We must be full in all aspects, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, in order to give to others, to teach our children, to love our partner, to be the leader of my organization, to work in a team, and for my company.

Thinking about self-care is the opposite of selfishness; it can even be a driving force to do things that we may not enjoy so much but that are key to helping our children, such as eating those vegetables to be healthy and set an example for your family.

So how do we start? Recently, I heard the CEO of a company list some tips for self-care:

• Make a list of the things that are most important to you (take inventory)
• Calm your mind, body, and your life… in other words, create harmony
• Forgiveness of others and cleansing yourself of negative emotions
• Constantly express gratitude to others and to God
• Invest quality time alone
• Immerse yourself in nature, because nature is healing energy
• Quiet your mind, sleep!
• Read more books, it helps your mental state stay flexible
• Breathe! which helps you master anxiety with effective breathing techniques
• Have positive and assertive communication with yourself
• Invest in your best version: Eat healthily, sleep, study, have a hobby!

Take advantage of these days to design your own self-care plan, start with simple things, and build effective habits to take care of yourself and have the energy and vitality to take care of your loved ones.