As you know, here at the PJCC we’re all about experiencing Wellness Your Way™—and that includes a healthy dose of self-care!
But if you think “self-care” simply means getting a pedicure or taking a mid-week day off from work… there’s far more to it than that! Self-care really is about taking the time to nurture your whole self: your body, your mind, your attitude… even your social connections. That’s not a one-time event; it’s something you can work on every day if you like. And who doesn’t need more health, wholeness, calm, resilience, mindfulness, and joy in their lives?
Up for considering how you can engage in self-care more deliberately and proactively? Here are a few questions to get you started!
Just like Wellness Your Way, we conceptualize self-care into three broad categories: Nourish, Move, and Engage. To give yourself the most rounded experience, consider the questions in each section.
Of course, these are just a start! We’d love to hear about your self-care strategies. Email us at newsletter@pjcc.org and share them with us. We may add them to a future article!
Nourish
- How do you care for your body, nutritionally? Do you make an effort to include hearty whole grains, foods rich in omega-3’s, heart-healthy oils, and colorful fruits and veggies in your diet?
- Overall, are you limiting caffeine and sugary drinks, and regularly hydrating with good old H2O?
- What mind-enriching and spirit-nurturing activities fit into your weekly schedule? Are there some you’d like to add to your “regime”? Does this concept kind of stress you out? Don’t let it! You don’t have to invest any money—even browsing the shelves of the library or taking a brief walk in the park count! Nor do they need to take a lot of time—even a brief pause in your day, or some time set aside in the evening for reading, gentle movement, or connection with a loved one can help. So don’t worry about having to set aside hours each day for these activities.
Move
- Have you made a commitment to a regular fitness routine? If not, what’s stopping you? Take note of those things—and then write down your commitment for the coming months. And problem-solve about how to overcome the barriers, such as trading baby sitting with a friend, riding your bike to do light errands, brushing your teeth immediately after dinner to avoid eating sweets late at night. Want accountability? Tell a friend!
- Envision your weekly fitness routine. What does it include? How does it support your current health and wellness goals? Is there anything you’d like to add or remove to better align your practices with those goals?
- Research has shown that moving for just a few minutes each hour keeps your metabolism boosted. (Plus, it’s good to break the habit of sitting for hours on end!) What steps (literal or figural!) can you take to incorporate more movement throughout the day?
Engage
- What do truly meaningful and invigorating social connections look like to you? (Maybe they look different, in different circumstances!) What can you do to cultivate more of those connections without simply busying up your calendar or creating more items for your to-do list?
- How do your social circles add value to your life? What can you do to give back in a meaningful and enriching way? How would you like your social connections to add to your life? Would you benefit from doing less, yet more meaningfully, and prioritizing the people closest to you?
- Are there virtual communities that provide you with a meaningful sense of connection? What positive impact do these make on your daily life—and how can you continue to build on those strengths, so that they don’t merely become more “screen time”?
