Any activity you do that nurtures your mental or physical wellbeing can be thought of as “self-care”.
Self-care has become a huge buzzword recently, but despite this growing trend, many of us still struggle with focusing on ourselves and slowing down.
This issue is particularly common in helping professions who often prioritize the needs of others over their own wellbeing.
Organizational factors can also discourage self-care, promoting a culture of overwork and sacrifice. High caseloads, limited resources, and a lack of support for self-care initiatives can lead to feelings of guilt or anxiety about taking time for ourselves.
Given that much of Western culture places a significant emphasis on productivity and achievement, slowing down can feel like going against cultural norms.
To feel better and live more balanced lives, we must let go of the constant need to be productive. Our value as individuals is not solely determined by our achievements, but by our inherent worthiness as human beings.
It's easy to brush off self-care as something unnecessary when there are a million other things vying for your time. But here's the thing: when you take care of yourself, you become better equipped to handle everything life throws at you. You'll have more energy, more clarity, and more resilience.
Plus, life becomes more enjoyable.
Self-care isn’t about being lazy, indulgent, or selfish. It's about recognizing your worth, your value, and your need to take care of yourself.
Need more persuading?
Here are 30 quotes which serve as food for thought.
30 Self-Care Quotes
1. “Have you noticed that when we die, our eulogies celebrate our lives very differently from the way society defines success?” – Arianna Huffington
2. “Self-care is not a waste of time. Self-care makes your use of time more sustainable.” – Jackie Viramontez
3. “The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” – Alan Watts
4. “Relaxing brings weakness, when done by a muscle; but brings strength, when done by a person.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
5. “We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise we harden.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
6. “We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don’t allow our bodies to heal, and we don’t allow our minds and hearts to heal.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
7. “If you take care of your mind, you take care of the world.” – Arianna Huffington
8. “Do not sacrifice yourself to help others. Increase yourself to help others. Your service and caregiving is a gift that should be nurtured and preserved. Be intentional and diligent about your own self-care.” – Beverly Kyer
9. “When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” – Jean Shinoda Bolen
10. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde
11. “Just when you feel you have no time to relax, know that this is the moment you most need to make time to relax.” – Matt Haig
12. “Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”– Eleanor Brownn
13. “Most of the things we need to be most fully alive never come in busyness. They grow in rest.” – Mark Buchanan
14.“You can’t give of yourself to others if there’s nothing left of yourself to give, can you?” – Sarah Knight
15. “There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” – Alan Cohen
16. “Self-care has become a new priority – the revelation that it’s perfectly permissible to listen to your body and do what it needs.” –Frances Ryan
17. “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won't have to hear it scream.” – Anon
18. “If we don’t take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of our clients.” – Karen Saakvitne
19. “The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.” –Matthew Walker
20. “A good half of the art of living is resilience.” – Alain de Botton
21. “This revolutionary act of treating ourselves tenderly can begin to undo the aversive messages of a lifetime.” – Tara Brach
22. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
23. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott
24. “There is nothing wrong with loving your work and wanting to apply yourself to it. But there is so much more to life. Balance is what is important, maintaining balance.” – Bronnie Ware
25. “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” – Thomas Merton
26. “The little things? The little moments? They aren't little.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
27. “Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.” – John Lennon
28. “May you live every day of your life.” – Jonathan Swift
29. “Taking time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective.” – Doe Zantamata
30. “Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges.” – Bryant McGill
The Importance of Self-Care
Sometimes it feels like taking care of yourself is just another thing on an endless to-do list. But think about it this way: when you neglect your mental and physical health, you're not just letting yourself down, you're missing out on so much potential.
Imagine your mental and physical wellbeing as the foundation of a house. When that foundation is strong, the house stands tall and sturdy, capable of weathering any storm. But when the foundation is neglected, cracks begin to form, and eventually, the whole structure can come crashing down.
Similarly, when you neglect self-care, you're compromising your ability to function at your best. You might find yourself feeling tired all the time, struggling to concentrate, or snapping at people for no reason.
Your mental wellbeing is intricately connected to your physical health. When you suffer mentally, you suffer physically.
What small step can you take today to invest in your mental or physical wellbeing?
You deserve to feel happy, healthy, and whole. And the world is a much brighter place when you do.
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Tools for Nurturing Your Mental Wellbeing
Research shows that self-help materials are often enough for people to overcome mild to moderate mental health difficulties without professional support.
If you’re interested in a self-guided program that includes tools from CBT, DBT, ACT and more, be sure to check out The Mental Wellbeing Toolkit. It's "like 10 therapy sessions in one."
