Want to know what’s on my self-care checklist?
This is blog post #145 and Solicited Advice Episode #43. And to date, I’ve avoided listing out my self-care checklist for one big reason – what self-care looks like for me isn’t necessarily what self-care will look like for you!
Just because something fills me up, doesn’t mean it will also refill your mental, emotional, and physical energy reserves. However, I’ve been asked this question several times, and I decided to answer not because I want you to do something just because I do, but in the hopes that my self-care list will spark inspiration for you in building out YOUR self-care list!
Why this isn’t a copy and paste self-care checklist
I can tell you what’s on my self-care activities list, but it’s important you understand it might look very different from your list! Here’s just a few reasons why. . .
- I’m an introvert. My energy restores much faster when I’m not dealing with anyone else’s energy. However, my extroverted clients and friends get the most out of self-care activities that involve other people.
- All eight limbs of Yoga are an integral part of my life. As a result much of my self-care involves yogic based activities. If you don’t have a yoga practice, these may not resonate with you.
- I grew up in a rural setting and I’m comfortable in wild nature. I’ve learned that some people who grew up in urban settings are much less at ease in wild nature and it isn’t as relaxing for them as it is for me.
Having said all that, please use the list that follows as inspiration. Maybe something on it will sound great and you want to try adding it to your own self-care checklist. Or maybe it will inspire you to think about self-care in a different way than you have been to identify your own unique self-care activities that help refill your mental, physical, and emotional energy reserves.
Here are some of my self-care activities:
- spending time in nature, from gardening to walks in the park to hiking to camping
- fun reading
- restorative or yin yoga
- guided meditation or yoga nidra
- breathwork practices
- energy work including EFT, reiki, and more
- massages
- baths
- eating nourishing meals
- snuggling with Lada and Adam
- knitting and other activities that let me explore my creative side, and
- listening to my body and giving it what it’s craving
Self-care is determined by activity + intention
Several of the items on the list above can be self-care. They can also be self-work, or distraction.
Take fun reading for example. If I pick a book with the intention of distracting myself from what’s going on in my life by immersing myself in another life or another world, that fun reading shifts from a self-care activity to distraction.
Or consider EFT. While it can be self-care, helping me to relax and restore, it can also be deep self-work, helping me to release old trapped emotions, beliefs, and patterns of thinking. Depending on the intention and the script I choose, this can quickly shift from something restorative to something powerful but draining.
When building your own self-care activities list, it’s critically important you understand the difference between self-care, self-work, and distraction.
Self-care vs. Self-work vs. Distraction
Here’s a quick breakdown of the differences between these:
- Self-care is nourishing and restorative activities that refill your mental, emotional, and physical energy reserves. Think of something that gives you the feeling of a warm hug from someone you love.
- Self-work is activities that help you learn and grow. It’s incredibly important but drains your mental, emotional, and physical energy reserves. and
- Distraction is activities that distract you from your life, your thoughts, and what you’re experiencing. These activities are often energy neutral, but should not be thought of as self-care as they don’t restore your reserves. These are things like watching tv or listening to a podcast where your goal is to be pulled into another world.
To learn more about self-care and how to build a self-care routine that works for you and for your life, check out my FREE Self-Care Toolkit! You can get your copy by signing up in the box below.
Whether you try one, none, or all of the activities I’ve listed, I hope that you come away from this with a deeper understanding of what self-care might look like for you!
