As women, we are particularly good at putting everyone else first and for some inexplicable reason, we feel guilty for taking time to look after ourselves.

How many times have you gone to do something for yourself and then thought either “I haven’t got time for that right now” or “I really should be putting the washing away/spending some time with the kids/making sure my husband has sent his Mum a birthday card….” and so it goes on!

When I work with my clients on finding some time for themselves, it becomes very apparent that they are so used to meeting everyone else’s needs that they have forgotten how to take care of themselves.

We also find that most people’s perception of self-care is out of sync with their current lifestyle so what might have worked for them in their 20’s, no longer works for them now and with a bit of re-jigging, we can find ways to re-introduce it into their lives.

For me, the analogy that we use in life coaching where we talk about getting on a plane watching the safety demonstration which insists, we put our own oxygen masks on first before helping others – well that’s what we need to do with self-care. If we are looking after ourselves, being the best versions of ourselves that we can be, we will be in a far greater position to look after those around us.

What is self-care?

Self-care is an activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional and physical well-being. Good self-care is key in reducing stress and anxiety although it’s something we tend to overlook when we are feeling /both of these things.

What isn’t self-care?

It’s NOT all about manicures & pedicures and a day in a luxury spa (although that does sound nice!)

It’s NOT selfish.

Self-care isn’t only about considering our own needs, it’s about knowing what we need to put in place in order to be able to function, take care of ourselves and therefore being able to take care of others.

You cannot pour from an empty cup.

This month, there is an opportunity for you to download my self-care work book entirely free of charge to do a bit of an audit on your own self care. Maybe this is the first step you take, actually finding time to download it and work through it? Have a look at my shop on my website for more details https://www.katetilston.co.uk/shop/

it won’t magically find you time (or energy) to start looking after yourself but it will give you some gentle reminders as to how you can start putting some things in place to do just that!

Just remember, self care isn’t selfish, it’s essential!