4 Self-Care Practices to Help You Nurture Your Inner World
It’s January again. The time of year when New Year’s resolutions are still in full swing and have not yet been abandoned.
At least one 2021 study found that about 64% of people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions by February. Surely there’s a better approach.
Sometimes we get so focused on targets and outcomes that we forget the process. We forget that there’s a valuable human being who deserves happiness and love regardless of our stats or productivity.
It seems 2022 is a good year to focus inward, not on outward accomplishments we can measure, but on loving ourselves more.
“Each one of us is a miniature version of the infinite universe out there.” -Abhijit Naskar
Our busy lifestyles don’t always allow us to sit and spend time with ourselves- our most important loved one. It’s hard to prioritize nurturing our inner world when there may not be tangible or immediate advantages.
However, doing so can have a multitude of benefits including:
More inner peace
More creativity
Better self-awareness and understanding
1. Reprogram your definition of selfish.
Are self-love and self-care selfish?
As women, society often programs us to be givers. That usually doesn’t include giving to ourselves. Taking time to nurture ourselves the way we do our communities, partners, and children can feel selfish.
Even the dictionary characterizes selfishness as a negative trait that involves disregard for others. Selfishness doesn’t have to look like this. But when we focus only on others, we disregard ourselves sometimes, until we have nothing to give to anyone. What good is this?
It’s okay to be selfish sometimes.
Start realizing that sometimes it is necessary to be a little selfish, even if it feels uncomfortable at first. Remind yourself that you will be able to show up for your loved ones and community as your best self when you say yes to yourself first sometimes. Start showing up for yourself the way you do for others.
Try making it a habit to do something small (or BIG!) for yourself each day.
2. Carve out alone time.
It is hard to get alone time in our modern world. Something is constantly beeping, buzzing, or vibrating. But in order to nurture our inner world, we have to get intimately acquainted with it. We have to make time to sit and have tea with it.
If you’re struggling to even have a bathroom break without interruption, scheduling time alone may feel impossible and daunting.
You can do it!
It doesn't have to be a five-day spa retreat … although that does sound amazing! It can be a few minutes of gratitude practice with your devices still silenced when you wake up in the morning or a few quiet moments before bed.
Once you’ve gotten into this habit, you can give it a super boost by taking your alone time outside in nature. The rewards are bountiful!
A 2019 study of 20,000 people found that two hours a week in green spaces resulted in significantly higher self-reports of good health and psychological well-being. You don’t have to drive to the mountains to go hiking either. Your backyard or local parks are perfectly viable options.
3. Who do you think you’re talking to?
Most of us would not stand around and watch a loved one be disrespected. We’d automatically spring into mama bear superwoman mode! Yet, we speak to ourselves in a way we would never dare speak to anyone else.
Start making sure your inner voice is treating you as well as you treat your friends, kids, and other loved ones. It might take a while to get there, so don’t beat yourself up about beating yourself up!
The following steps might help.
Step 1: First, start noticing the way you talk to yourself. Would you be okay with someone talking to your bestie this way?
Step 2: Remember that you don’t have to believe everything the voice in your head says. Even if something is true, is it helpful? Is there a kinder way you could reframe it?
For example, instead of telling yourself:
I’m an elephant.
Rephrase it as:
I’d like to lose a few pounds.
Step 3: Practice looking in the mirror and saying three kind things to yourself each day. After all, practice makes improvement!
If loving yourself isn’t enough motivation to break this tough lifelong habit, remind yourself that being kind to yourself actually helps you be more accepting of others too. You might just find yourself being more compassionate all around!
4. Give yourself time to grow.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a highly motivated person who is always striving for growth. Like me, your struggle may lie more in being realistic and kind to yourself in the process.
Think of a ladder. I tend to expect myself to jump from the bottom rung to the top in one giant bound. Instead, I’m learning to spell out what each rung looks like and focus on getting to the next one instead of expecting to get to the top immediately.
Here are some practices and mindset shifts that are helping me to be gentler with myself while I grow.
Set up smaller benchmarks to hit.
Celebrate these wins along the way!
Expect setbacks.
Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.
Be gentle with yourself if your New Year’s resolve is already dwindling. Practice loving the magnificent universe inside of you. In a world of always trying to hit the next goal, we can forget to pause and let ourselves breathe and be.
Take a moment to nurture yourself and enjoy the view. You are more than your accomplishments, and you deserve some love and attention too.
Sources:
Yale Environment 360 | Healthline | Very Well Mind
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