Skill Up to Move Up – Simple Self Care Skills that Work

By Gladys Barrer

You may be a busy office worker or executive, a parent who has to do two or more jobs to make ends meet, or a working student fending for yourself. Whatever is happening in your life – you need SELF-CARE.

Now you might be saying to yourself, “I have no time for self-care!” You have a lot of things to accomplish, and really, nobody else can do these things except you. That may be true, but that also means you need to be sure you have it in you to be able to deliver. And that is why you need to take care of yourself.

Here are a few things you might consider doing to be able to care for yourself. This is not a comprehensive list. Rather, it gives you an idea of the little things you can do that may have a big impact on your day.

CLARIFY YOUR THOUGHTS. Yes, you have a lot on your plate. Yes, everyone is counting on you to make decisions. And yes, you need to be clear and deliberate about the decisions you make.

Here’s the thing – If you try to think of everything you have to do all at once, everything will be muddled, you will be confused, and nothing will be accomplished. So, sort out the things you have to think about. Put them in “little boxes” in your mind, then, focus at one box at a time.

One neat trick you can do is to divide your time among the things you have to do. Set an alarm for each slice of time. Now tell yourself at the beginning of each slice of time that you will concentrate on this item ONLY. The alarm will help move your mind from one slice, or task, to the next.

AFFIRM YOURSELF. So you feel like nobody is noticing the things that you are doing? Are you sad that no one appreciates your efforts? Not to worry – there is somebody you can always turn to, to get that positive response. That person is YOU.

Oh, yes, you can congratulate yourself! It’s called loving yourself. Whenever you feel you did something well, give yourself a pat on the shoulder–not an imaginary one, but really use your right hand to tap yourself on your left shoulder. Give yourself some credit. Maybe other people will say thank you (or maybe not) but at least you already know your work is appreciated anyway.

A good way to start your day right is to affirm yourself before anything else. When you go wash your face, look at yourself in the mirror and say something like “Today is the day I get to be closer to God’s holiness” or “Today, I am making God proud of me“. You don’t have to use these lines. Think of what you would want to become, and let that statement be your self-affirmation.

REST. Busy, are you? I hope you’re not too busy to take a short rest period. Remember – God Himself rested after laboring for 6 straight days.

Rest doesn’t have to be a long pause. You can just stop for a while (say 2 to 3 minutes) – just drop everything you are doing. Sit down, and take several long breaths — close your eyes if you want to. These breathing pauses may be all you need to finish what you need to finish.

Now, that can help you on a daily basis. But! You also need to take longer pauses once in a while. This is also why we have days off, so use yours well. Don’t use all of it to do house chores. Reserve one or two hours to relax and not think of any cares, concerns, or problems. Make time to think of your own needs. Make time for self-care.

ENHANCE YOURSELF. Part of taking care of yourself is IMPROVING yourself. If you’re working, then you may need to Skill Up To Move Up. Even if you think you are a “plain housewife” (which is not “plain” at all!), making personal improvements will ease some of your pains – physical and emotional.

Still think you don’t have time for these stuff? The trick is to deliberately make time for self-care, especially for self-enhancement.

Learn a few simple exercises that help relax your muscles as you work. Or wake up some 5 minutes earlier to be able to do that exercise routine you always wanted to start on.

Learn something new. You don’t have to enroll in an expensive course that will take a major slice off your time. You can try watching a few YouTube how-to videos. You can ask your child to teach you something new about your smartphone. You can experiment with new ways of preparing your usual recipes. The list goes on…

The best way to enhance yourself is to study the Word of God. Take a few minutes each day to read a passage in the Bible, and really reflect on what God is telling you through the passage. Record your reflections in a journal, and go back to them from time to time to check on your progress in your holiness journey.

If you still have questions about self-care, or if you want help in implementing a self-care plan, contact us and we’ll be glad to talk with you about it.