The Gift of Self-Care
Rita Bonivento 
Are you letting your kids, husband, partner or friends influence your flow? Self-care is an activity that nurtures and refuels you at a deep level.
One rhythm does not work for everyone. Following someone else’s schedule more often than not has a negative effect on female hormones, aka your energy system.
If you’re dealing with any of the following energy states, applying more self-care may assist your natural rhythm to come back to balance:
- Chronic fatigue
- Low sex drive
- Intense premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Cystic acne
- Mild depression
- Or other “random” symptoms
Self-care goes beyond the occasional mani-pedi or massage. While these are great examples of taking time for yourself, in order to reap the substantial benefits of self-care, you must make a consistent commitment and expand your routine of caring for yourself to nourish all levels of your being.
Self-care is an activity that nurtures and refuels you at a deep level.
The Gut-Mind Collective groups self-care into five categories which offer unique spaces for care and attention:
- Physical body
- Emotional and mental state
- Spiritual beliefs
- Relationship to self
- Relationship to others
- Work
Some examples of self-care
Physical Body
- Ample quality sleep
- Checkups
- Healthy diet
- Regular exercise
- Massage
- Acupuncture, chiropractics, osteopathy
- Baths
- Daily outdoor time
Emotional and Mental State
- Laughter or crying
- Hobbies
- Loving
- Free writing
- Reading
- Morning and/or evening routines
- Budgeting
- Traveling
Spiritual Beliefs
- Nature walks
- Meditation and prayer
- Religious practices
- Yoga
Relationship to Self
- Daily journal
- Engaging the senses
- Cooking
- Vision boards
- Positive self-talk
- Goal setting
- Alone time
- Celebrating your successes
- Treating yourself to what’s important to you
Relationship to Others
- Dating
- Joining a club or group
- Time with friends
- Time with children
- Family visits
- Vacationing
- Conversations
- Getting involved in a cause
- Communicating your wants and needs
Work
- Boundary setting
- Goal setting
- Supporting and acknowledging yourself and others
- Taking time off
- Learning new skills
- Self-advocating
A lot of women feel like they need to keep up with other people.
If you don’t feel like partying four nights a week after a ten-hour workday or exercising for two hours every single day, you might think there’s something wrong with you.
You might even beat yourself up or feel ashamed and lazy.
Ignoring your body’s signals and writing them off as laziness is not productive or helpful – it actually drains your energy even more.
The mental weight you put on yourself (like shame and judgment) is often more draining than a long to-do list.
The female body is naturally incredibly fine-tuned. It is designed for deep relaxation and self-care at certain times of the month and linear, productive work at other times of the month.
That’s why it’s important to know your energy rhythm, and your constitution, so you can design a life that supports your natural energy state.
Within the ancient Indian energy system, Ayurveda, there are three constitutions, or doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Knowing your dosha can help you make choices that support balance for your unique energy state, especially when it comes to food, lifestyle nourishment and exercise.
Nourishing your body, mind and soul with foods and activities that align with your natural energy state is self-care.
Are you letting your kids, husband, partner or even friends influence the flow of your day? It could also be a broader “prescribed rhythm” that you’re going with instead of listening to your body.
Check out the Chopra Centre Dosha Quiz to discover your dosha style and the ways you can weave self-care into your rhythm on a daily basis.
Categories: Nutrition, Integrative Nutrition, Mindfulness