Podcast - What Really is Self Care?
Here I want share with you why “Self Care” is really everything when it comes to your health, longevity and quality of life.
Self Care is a vital mindset if you want sustainability, balance, longevity, confidence and energy in your life, because it is the practice of self awareness. It is an inner knowing that it is up to you to take care of yourself throughout life, if you want to avoid discomfort, dysfunction and dis-ease.
You see the longer your life goes, the greater the chances that you’ll become a statistic and donor of the health care system. But if Self Care is your mindset that you live by, the chances of that are greatly diminished even as you age.
The most important distinction to realise is that, Self Care is the opposite of Health Care.
And the reason for this, is because Self Care is all about self-responsibility rather than handing yourself over to outside intervention unless in cases of emergency, crises or trauma situations (and these are the only cases in which I am personally grateful for the system of health care – for very temporary care if and when needed).
But you can’t build your life or your health confidence relying on Health Care, because eventually it will catch up with you.
So self care is the path I choose for myself and I hope you do too. Self Care is also a lifestyle that is all about being empowered to take care of yourself and to invest in your wellness every single day no matter how small you make those daily investment deposits.
Because a little each day goes a long way.
But unfortunately today, we live in a world where most people would prefer not to take responsibility for anything – and instead, have a dependency mindset where they believe someone else is responsible for taking care of them.
So, Self Care is the antithesis of all that.
It is about you being empowered to take care of yourself first. And that doesn’t mean it is selfish – it means you choose to be the hero of your own health journey. It means you choose to be in control of your own health outcomes which enables you to show up and be the best version of you for those who depend on you – for those you care about and love. In the same way, the safety procedure on an aircraft would be to put your oxygen mask on first before taking care of others.
So, if you embrace the ideals and principles of self care, it means you are being proactive when it comes to your health and wellbeing, rather than reactive which is how most people live their lives.
Practicing self care and having a self care mindset, means you respect yourself enough to take care of yourself. It means you think in terms of paying it forward, prevention and preparedness rather than treatment.
Self Care is also about understanding the concept of delayed gratification. Investing in your health and wellbeing now (even on those days when you don’t feel like it or even if it feels uncomfortable) – because you know that healthy daily habits will pay off for you in the long run.
Does it mean you can’t have balance in your life? Of course not.
But it means you must invest in your physical, mental and emotional wellness daily in order to reap the long-term rewards. And what do those rewards look like?
Health independence (rather than dependence)
Functionality – Mobility, Strength & Balance to perform everyday tasks esily
Endurance & Heart Health
Cognitive Performance
Self Worth
Maintaining your passions
Happy outlook on life
For me, it’s not that complicated. Self Care is about taking care of yourself because no one else will do it for you.
The medical system won’t do it
Your naturopath won’t do it
A health guru on youtube won’t do it
Yes, they may guide you or inspire you, but ultimately you are responsible for you. And that in simple terms is what self care is all about.
So, to finish here, I have two questions for you today:
What areas in your health and wellness do you need to improve (nutrition, movement, mindset, emotional balance)
What actions or steps are you taking to take ownership of the problem and to make improvements.
Any outside solution is usually only a band aid solution that never gets to the true heart of what drives a healthier, happier you.
So, choose to be the hero of your own health journey. Do it for rourself and for those you care about and love.
Be health confident and that begins with being health empowered, independent and self responsible which is really what self care is all about.
This is what Rock Solid Wellness is all about – giving you the mindset tools and confidence to be a better you.
I hope you got value from today’s message. Tanks for reading… Stay strong and live well!
ZT.
