You

It all comes down to you.

You get to decide where you put your energy. Who you choose to love. What you decide to pass on. What sacrifices you will make. Where you will indulge a little. You get to choose.

But at the heart of all of those choices, is YOU. Who are you? What do you value? What makes you, you? Self-care is not just about recharging & re-energizing to get through another week. It’s also about knowing yourself. Recognizing YOUR needs and then meeting them. You are in control of you. Therefore you also are responsible for taking care of you.

“Know thyself” is not just a phrase by Socrates, but a true call to action. A challenge. I’m sure you know what you are to other people. For example, I am a daughter, a wife, a mother, a friend, a student, a business owner, etc. But these roles are all in relation to others. When you are all alone what remains?

Self-care is a very personal practice. What works for some may not work for others. For example, I love the outdoors, but I can only handle so much of it. As a fair-skinned lady too much sun turns me into a boiled lobster. A short amount of time sitting in the shade with a good book would be a great idea for self-care for me; a long hike on a 90 degree day is NOT my idea of relaxing or fun. Some people really enjoy a nice soak in a hot bathtub before bed. While I enjoy a good bath occasionally, I do not fully fit in my bathtub so it tends to turn into a bit of a human tetris game - legs in, now legs out & arms in, switch!

Your personality really comes into play here. If you are more of an introvert then going out for drinks with friends may not be a relaxing way to let off steam & instead turns into an anxiety-inducing lesson in small talk that leaves you even more exhausted by the end of the night. Vice versa if you are an extravert then sitting alone in quiet for an extended period of time might be your idea of a sentence of solitary confinement.

I suggest trying to answer some of these questions about who you are by taking a few personality tests & getting to the core of your values/beliefs/behaviors. By gaining this knowledge you will have the tools to equip yourself with the self-care practices that will be most beneficial to you. I’ve listed links to a few below. Have fun with it!

Get to know yourself a bit better & see all the wonderful things the rest of the world sees.

Beautiful, unique, YOU.

https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/ https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test