What’s physical self-care?

I haven’t forgotten that I said I was doing a self-care series, I just got busy taking care of me.

So here is my third post in my self-care series and I thought I would focus on physical self- care.  If you remember in my first post there was an image of a self-care wheel and in the physical section it lists various things that are considered physical self-care, such as having a safe place to live, eating well, exercising etc.

Personally, I find physical self-care challenging at times.  I find it easier to care for others than I do to care for myself.  But over the years I have come to realize that I am actually the most important person to me.  Sounds kind of conceited but its true.  I have to think of myself first in order to help others.  When it comes it physical self-care it means taking time out, being along with your thoughts (ugh, that’s not always easy either, who wants to listen to themselves whining, because let’s admit it, we like to put ourselves down more than build ourselves up), which will help with our psychological and emotional wellness too.  

What things do I do for physical self-care?

Well, it changes and evolves much like the seasons.  I like to walk my dog, swim in the river, eat yummy healthy food, take long relaxing baths, lie in the sun and feel the breeze on my face, stretch and do yoga, get a massage, ask for hugs from my loved ones, (I have asked strangers too before, but people give me funny looks, can’t understand why), the list goes on.

Over the years I have tried different practices or tools as like to refer to them.   I used to love to go to spin class, or kick boxing.  I used to go to the gym every other day, swim, and have massages.  I did this a lot when I had young children and I needed that “me” time.  As I got older and the needs of my children evolved, I had to adjust, my spin class turned in to bicycle rides with my kids in a trailer and them eventually following me on their own bikes.  Growing my own vegetable garden with the kids and watching it produce wonderful healthy food.  Walking to ball practice and going for a swim in the lake after.  Sitting in the hot tub staring at the sky lit with the moon and the stars, at the end of the day when they were all fast asleep tucked in bed.  Oh, how I miss my hot tub!  I have tried, kayaking (which I love, must be the water theme), hiking, dancing alone in my living room or with friends, having a big old belly laugh at myself and others, going to a theme park and riding the coasters, water parks with lazy rivers and splash pads, jumping off the end of a dock in the moon light, rolling around in the snow, skiing, sledding, building a snowman, raking the leaves…. As I write this, I am feeling motivated to try some of these again, some things I wasn’t a fan of, like down-hill skiing, nope not for me at all, but that’s the beauty of it, we are all different and we can pick and choose and need not be limited because of finances or disabilities, yes, they are barriers and can make things harder or impossible.  I myself faced some of those obstacles, when I was diagnosed with idiopathic Epilepsy in 2009, it had a huge impact on my life, I had to be careful, swimming was something that I could no longer do alone, I could not drive and had little supports, with three small kids in a relatively new country.  It was a challenge I had to adjust my expectations and accept a new reality; things weren’t always easy and I would be lying if I said they were, but thankfully still here to tell the tale.

Water and swimming have been a major theme in my self-care journey.  Taking a bath or a hot shower and feeling the water on your skin.  Swimming in the river and letting the cool water wash over you and at the same time asking it to take away all your worries.  I love to let my body just float on the water and look up at the vast sky.  When I visit the ocean, I love to lie on the beach at night time (and daytime) and listen to the waves, sometimes I will take a swim, there is nothing better to me than the sweet sounds of the waves crashing down, the smell of the salty air and the view of the universe, it makes me feel small and helps me put things in to perspective.  I remember once doing this very thing in 2011, I took a trip to the ocean.  I slept lots, ate healthy foods, read, swam and listened to music.  It was the best ever self-care trip I took.  Three days of me and the universe (my higher power) – bliss!  A year later my world totally fell apart, but using some of these tools has helped me greatly.  

Physical self-care influences all of the other parts of the self-care wheel, it’s intertwined, when we take care of ourselves physically, the impact on us emotionally and psychologically can be huge.  

I challenge you to think about your physical self-care, what do you do to keep yourself well physically?  What barriers have you faced and how did you overcome them?  Do you still find it difficult, and if so why?