If you are a parent, taking care of yourself is not just locking yourself in the bathroom for a couple of minutes to have time to yourself. If you work, it is not about just “vegging” in front of the TV or your phone to unwind!

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What then is taking care of yourself aka “Self Care”?

According to the World Health Organization, “self-care is what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, to prevent and deal with illness.” This term is super broad, and it covers a lot of things. We know we need to take care of ourselves, but do we take care of ourselves? Do you?

I had mentioned earlier that I would cover this topic and I say that because of something that happened at work. Recently, I went to work and then found out that one of the girls who came in often had quit and was as not working anymore. I do know that she was taking classes and had a young daughter; I was surprised that she had quit!

I wondered was it because work was stressful or was it a combined with other stuff going on at home? What was it? I do not know since I did not have her phone number to call her. I have been thinking about her quitting since. And I ask, what if it were me? I have been in her shoes!

Why We Need to practice self-care:

I believe the number one reason is to prevent burn out.

I was listening to an episode of Rachel Hollis’ Rise Podcast (Episode 112) and she defined Burn out as doing something that does not light up your heart anymore.

This resonated with me- I was tired at home, work, mentally, physically and I had no passion for anything.

Momma’s let us talk- this idea of self-care might be a foreign concept. Our mom’s worked or were busy from sun up till sundown and they are the first to wake up. It does not have to be so. It is so easy to care for others and forget about ourselves. Sometimes we work, and then come home and take care of the home, do school and take our kids to every place. We do not stop and then at the end of the day, we crash and go to sleep and repeat this the next day. It has to stop. It took prayers to God to help me to defeat this cycle!

The next reason is to prevent stress

Stress can affect our minds and our well being and we end up not being able to be fully present in the things we do. Stress can cause us to think irrationally

Finally, to excel in all we do: when we take care of ourselves we are able to care for others, and are able to give 100% to our loved ones, our jobs and all we do!

How to Practice self-care:

1. When was the last time you went for a physical, do you take multivitamins? It is not just for when you are pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant. And men, it is not just ladies who need multivitamins, talk to your doctor regarding your joints, your prostate health, your heart

2. Exercise. I need not say much here. Exercise is essential to taking care of yourself. It helps our physical, mental and overall outlook on life.

3. Practice self-care at work too. As a Histotechnologist, I wear my gloves, lab coat, goggles and shoes that cover my toes. If pouring fluids, I use a shield to protect my face and or eyes. For other workplaces, we practice good sitting body positions like

Keeping the joints such as hips, knees, and ankles open slightly (more than 90°).
Keeping the knee joints at or below the hip joints.
Keeping ankle joints in front of the knees.
Keeping a gap the width of three fingers between the back of the knee joint and the front edge of the chair.
Keep feet flat on the floor or on a footrest.
For more information check out the OSHA.gov (Occupational Safety and Health Administration website

4. Get a massage! You do not need to pay spa fees for this, go to the mall, (there is no shame here) and get it done. Some of my work has repetitive motion and I can tell you sometimes, muscles that I did not think I had hurt. Massages go a long way. And get your spouse/significant other to give you a massage.

5. Take care of your skin. Living in Florida, the beauty of it is that there is lots and lots of sunshine. However, on my visit to the clinic for a work eval, I was asked do you use sunscreen and I was like- ahem no. The doc was like you need it now that you are in FL. To prevent skin cancer, I need to be protected from the sun by using sunscreen

6. Look good! You do not have to spend lots of money to look good. And do not use the “I am married who cares” excuse. Looking good feels good, it boosts our confidence and so much more. I wear scrubs to work and I love it. They are comfortable and all they hide a multitude of love handles. When I dress up to go out, even my son does a wow! You look, good mommy. Even that little compliment goes a long way.

Regarding looking good & feeling good; I had broken out on my face and I had tried a lot of things to get rid of it. I was listening to YouTube and had stumbled upon how this YouTuber had started taking care of her skin. She mentioned a 10 step Korean Skin Care routine and how her skin went from blah to amazing. I will share the link about what the 10 steps entail. I know 10 steps sound like it is a lengthy process but this can be your own spa day at home! You can treat yourself and your spouse and thank me later. Note this website also has a shop- I am not being sponsored. I found the information very helpful.

Did I try the 10 step routine? Yes-on a weekend.

Did it take care of my breakout, yes! If you want to know what exactly I use after reading this 10step routine outline, message me and I would Share it with you.

The final self-care step is to pray for yourself! Proverbs 3:24 says: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

Sometimes, we might lay down and the day’s activities, what we have to do might keep us awake. Pray for yourself, your family, your mind, relationships and everything that worries you.

Commit the worries to God (Philippians 4:6); and the Peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus- Philippians 4:7

Self-care did help me get back to feeling myself!

Have a great day.

Ezanya