By Kelly Amaturo

 Drink lots of bottled water.  Stretch with intention. Whenever you catch yourself feeling tight or stiff, take a few minutes to focus on the area of your body talking to you and stretch in anyway that feels good.  Practice on breathing deeply.  Go for a stroll, a jog, or a run.  Engage in learning something fun and new.  Take some quiet time during the day just for you.  Write a list of 50 things that make you smile and post it where you can see it daily.

Sit outdoors and tune into the natural world around you. Speak with complete honesty. Stop doing one thing that you know is not in your best self interest. Perhaps it is taking that second helping of food, talking about others behind their backs, complaining to no end, pushing too hard to reach a goal, etc. Exercise several times a week in a way that gets your heart pumping, your blood flowing, and fills up your tank with renewed energy.

 Invite your creativity out to play – draw, paint, dance, sing, and write.  Tend to your body with loving care… Start with the simple things like flossing your teeth, taking time to use a lotion you love, getting to know your body and the messages it is sending you.  Ramp up your self- care awareness by making a list of all the things that get in the way of you taking great care of you.  Develop a meditation practice.  Take steps to ensure you are getting good sleep

 Woods, C. (2012). 50 ways to practice great self care without spending a dime. Retrieved from goodies/50-ways-to-practice-great-self-care- without-spending-a-dime goodies/50-ways-to-practice-great-self-care- without-spending-a-dime

 Self Care and Your Emotional Health: Taking time out to care for yourself can remind you and others that you and your needs are important, too. Having a well-cared-for body can make you feel good about yourself and your life, and conveys to others that you value yourself. This can contribute to long-term feelings of wellbeing.  Self Care and You Physical Health: While self-pampering doesn’t always lead to major improvements in overall health the way healthy diet and exercise do, the relaxation you get from it can trigger the relaxation response, which can prevent chronic stress from damaging your health, so in a sense, self-care is good for you inside and out.relaxation response chronic stress

 Self Care Makes You a Better Caretaker: People who neglect their own needs and forget to nurture themselves are at danger of deeper levels of unhappiness, low self-esteem and feelings of resentment. Also, sometimes people who spend their time only taking care of others can be at risk for getting burned out on all the giving, which makes it more difficult to care for others or themselves. Taking time to care for yourself regularly can make you a better caretaker for others.

 Scott, E. (2007, July 12). The importance of self care for health and stress management. Retrieved from are.htm are.htm

 Here is the link for a YouTube video that gives great information on self care and stress relief.   Self care is very important. Take care of yourself and you will shortly see how much better you feel!