Overcome Self-Care Guilt With These Five Tips
One of the most significant barriers to practicing self-care is guilt. Women, in particular, feel incredibly guilty for tending to their needs. So often, we, women, view the most basic life activities like eating as relaxing and splurging or indulging.
Practicing self-care helps us to be more effective and productive. However, when our self-care is plagued with guilt, it can take more of a toll on our mental state and defer us from taking care of ourselves. If you have guilt when practicing self-care, read on for five ways you can overcome your self-care guilt.
Pick A Day Reserved For Self-Care
Make self-care a part of your routine by reserving a day dedicated to yourself. It is important to implement self-care into your daily routine. However, sometimes, this is easier said than done. So choose a day that is reserved to prioritize for you. You can make it as extravagant or chill as you want. Having a self-care day will help to prevent guilt and stress.
Self-Care With A Crew
Having an accountability partner is often the key to staying motivated and fit when working out. Use this same process when it comes to practicing rest and relaxation. Try to find a yoga class, meditation group, or plan a spa day. Yes, the self-care event with be with a group, but you will be individually recharged.
Treat Self-Care As An Investment
Giving and giving without taking time for ourselves will ultimately leave you bankrupt. On the other hand, when you treat self-care as your personal investment, you commit to devoting time and energy to supply yourself to help others.
When you do this, you will feel less guilt as you acknowledge having the resources to dedicate to others relies on the protection and renewal of your own supply.
Customize Your Self-Care For You
Self-care in its simplest form is giving yourself what you need. This means self-care can look different for everyone based on needs, circumstances, and environment. For example, for some, self-care looks like spa dates, spending time with loved ones, and for others, self-care looks like getting 8 hours of sleep every day or practicing transparency with their partner.
Eliminate guilt when practicing self-care by crafting a self-care routine fit for you. Do not feel pressured to follow someone else's idea of self-care.
Determine Why You Feel Guilty
If your self-care is continues to be plagued with guilt, take some time to reflect on why you feel this way. Ask yourself why using the below prompts
What is my definition of self-care?
Do I view self-care as productive?
When I practice self-care do I feel like I should be doing something else.more productive?
Do I often give up my free time to help others? Do I feel others deserve my time and help more than I do?
Reflect on the answers and see if there is any new information you haven't considered before and how you can shift your perspective of self-care. You may be able to see the links between taking time for yourself and feeling guilty about it more clearly, and seeing your thoughts written out might help you move past them.
Self-care can feel selfish - try to remember it is a selfless act. Be kind to yourself as you learn to prioritize me time—and know you will be a better you with proper self-care.
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