Do Not Ignore the Importance of Self-Care

The importance of self-care can not be overemphasized in this modern age of technology that is filled with numerous avenues of information and entertainment which we are exposed to on a daily basis. Regardless of what you do, or where you go, it becomes important that you take care of yourself whether physically or mentally. As a matter of fact, even if you were lucky enough to have been born into a privileged and stable family (which I am sure most of us do), it would be imperative for you to invest time to yourself and your loved ones. While no one has ever told me that I will not find self-care as valuable as some people, I have come to realize that there are quite some who never see or value their body as something that deserves or requires attention. Whether through education, personal experience, or simply ignorance, it’s always best to stop ignoring everything that relates to our physical health and start caring about it as a whole instead of fighting our bodies every chance we get.

My first experience with “self-care” was when I went to a wellness conference. It occurred to me at almost the end of my session that the speaker on that panel did not have any kind of actual knowledge of how to actually practice what he spoke about; let alone how to incorporate what he had learned from a professional nutritionist to his own life. He had no guidance, nor a plan of how he would carry out his plans of taking care of himself in doing so, but proceeded to talk about various dieting and exercise programs while barely acknowledging or acknowledging the benefits I can provide that help me feel good about myself all day long. This was particularly alarming because when I left after my session that morning, he said that I was “not ready for all that”. To give some background about him, his primary aim of being healthy was to fit into whatever the world deemed fit for him. In the past, I have tried to encourage others to make healthier choices not only because they want themselves to look better but also because they feel like that is a way to express gratitude to God. So while I knew that he was speaking of an awareness on a subject, I could not imagine someone addressing such a thing as having actually practiced self-care? Yet that’s exactly what he did!

That’s not how to show others that we care, especially those who may not believe anything else they heard from you. And it’s definitely not how to encourage someone that truly wants to change their lifestyle to become healthier because that’s exactly what I have done for nearly two decades. When I realized how much I struggled with high blood pressure to this point, I started going regularly to a local wellness center/health coach. My goal was still the same — to find a solution to my condition; however, I wanted more than just to hear about self-care. How could a man I thought would know nothing about nutrition actually teach me anything about keeping myself happy? After months of looking around, I had come face-to-face with the very person who was teaching self-care and its impact on one's mental and emotional state. Through this encounter, I discovered a program called SoulSmart which aims to do the opposite of what many wellness centers claim it does. Instead of encouraging you to follow strict nutrition advice, it encourages YOU to learn and understand about your own emotions and behaviors. By giving you understanding of what’s happening inside you as well as understanding of other’s emotions, I personally discovered that self-care and mindfulness go hand-in-hand. Just knowing how it affects other’s emotions makes me a stronger person! There are plenty of resources online (and off) that explain this concept more clearly. But when I decided to do something about it, I found that the process of learning this stuff was overwhelming, and honestly, sometimes infuriating. For example, one video shared with me showed up on Youtube about yoga and mindful eating. Since I enjoy yoga and meditation, I asked myself whether I would feel comfortable taking part in a class such as this; because I love to workout, why wouldn’t I? Surprisingly, many of the videos on YouTube showed me practicing certain poses, such as the infamous plank pose, without showing me what they really meant. I began to wonder whether they were trying to reinforce unhealthy habits, maybe from a religious perspective, to try to get to a different level of mindfulness. Or perhaps by watching these classes I was somehow attempting to emulate a type of mindfulness that is taught in yoga classes? Whatever the case may be, I am grateful to finally have an opportunity to explore something I was not given access to before and make the conscious effort to develop a personal mindfulness practice. There is a wealth of excellent content online to support both mindfulness and self-care. And for those seeking out more, we have SoulSmart, Inc. whose mission is to empower self-care practitioners through training in mindfulness. We hope you get the opportunity to learn more! And since I have used them as a resource over the years, I invite you to share my story! Thank you! And until next time, stay mindful!