Building Your Self Care Toolkit
Self care...everyone's talking about it. The notion seems pretty self explanatory - take care of yourself, right? Of course self care is about taking care of yourself (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually). When trying to translate that notion into real life, however, it can get confusing about how to actually put it into practice.
I love the notion of building a ‘self care toolkit’. Think of it as a metaphorical toolkit full of all sorts of wonderful things that make you feel happy, calm and nourished. Whenever you’re feeling stressed (or ideally before you get to that stage), you can reach in and pull out whichever ‘tool’ you’re most drawn to at that time. By having this toolkit ready to go, it’s easy to reach in and pull something out when you’re in need. I’m a big advocate of enjoying your self care toolbox regularly, not just in times of stress or overwhelm. To me, a key part of self care is to use it as a preventative measure, rather than something to pull out only when times get tough. Think of it like a cup...don’t wait until it’s empty until you fill it up again, instead regularly fill it up with little pours each time so that it always stays full.
Feeling a little unsure of what to put in your ‘toolkit’? If you open Instagram or read the latest article, self care seems to be all about running a hot bath and putting on a face mask. For some of us, these sorts of things are indeed forms of self care and that's wonderful! But what if those traditional notions of self care really just don't float your boat? What if you do them because you read somewhere that it's what you should be doing? What if these sorts of activities end up just being another thing on your to do list? They end up defeating their purpose.
We're all different, so what self care means to me will be different to what it means to you, your neighbour, your mum, etc. So, how do you go about discovering what self care means to you? Ask yourself what will bring you joy and what makes you feel most nourished in that moment. It's often a process of experimentation...trying out different things and seeing how they make you feel. Have fun with this process! Start writing out a list that you can add to and change over time, and keep it somewhere for easy reference.
Here are some ideas of less conventional forms of self care that might inspire your own toolkit
Put on a favourite song and dance about (whether it be a rock song with you punching the air, a pop song and some bum shaking, a slow song with some minimal movement or all of the above).
Cry, laugh, scream into a pillow...just let it all out. Emotional releases are oh so important.
Play...go to a playground and enjoy the swings or slide, run around with a little one or a doggo in your life, play hopscotch, do something that you used to love doing as tot.
Put clean sheets on your bed...and then bask in them. That fresh sheet feeling is one of life's simple pleasures! And if you can’t be bothered with clean sheets, just opt for clean pillow cases instead.
Make plans with a friend, or cancel plans with a friend, depending on what stage you’re at and whether you feel the need to connect or disconnect.
Leave work on time, take your lunch break, leave work at work. (This all applies if you’re working from home - set yourself clear boundaries between work life and personal life).
Seek support. Whether that be from a friend, family member, healthcare professional or organisation like Beyond Blue or the Butterfly Foundation.
Have fun making arts and crafts like colouring in, painting or knitting. It doesn’t have to look ‘pretty’, but let your creativity and feelings out!
Experiment and explore with all sorts of other things - painting, cooking, playing music, podcasts, watching to a comedy show, kickboxing, gardening, joining a face-to-face or virtual group like trivia or a book club...the possibilities are endless :)
