“Self care looks like doing something right now that you don’t want to do in order to take care of your future self.”- Amanda E. White, LPC

Despite what society tells us, self care is not something that you buy. There’s no price tag on it. And its difficult because there are so many different beliefs about what it is and what is it not. 

Here’s a general guideline- ask yourself–> “What will my future self thank me for?” OR “What will best help me for tomorrow?”

I got a lot of feedback on Instagram that this was helpful but also some confusion with people saying things like….

“If I live my whole life like that, I will never rest, that sounds exhausting!” I hear you. But I also think we may be misunderstanding the concept then. 

If you’re sick, skipping the gym, calling out of work, pushing away laundry and SLEEPING are something your future self will thank you for. 

If you are feeling blue, only you can decide and discover if skipping plans will make you feel better or worse. 

This is the thing- we all want a black-and-white rule. Something that we can always rely on to follow. But life isn’t like that. Self care is certainly not like that. Context is everything. Your motives and intentions behind what you do matter. 

AND most importantly, what may be self care for you may not be for someone else. So try to not compare yourself with other people (especially on Instagram!) We all have different needs and values, so our self care is going to look different. 

Try to not be hard on yourself and give yourself grace to remember, that learning how to take care of yourself is a lifelong JOURNEY. It will evolve and change depending on what’s going on in your life. 

In the meantime, here are some of my favorite ways to take care of myself that are FREE. 

• Cleaning mindfully
• Going for a mindful walk
• Journaling mindfully
• Exercising without technology
• Cooking – especially while watching reruns
• Reading
• Stretching
• Listening to music- especially a really great nostalgic track that reminds me of a favorite memory
• Taking a bath

My challenge to you this week – practice self care at least once this week!

Warmly,
Amanda

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