A New Kind of Self Care in 2018

When I look back on 2017, I feel like I squeezed an entire year into six months. It moved so quickly, I worked so hard and I accomplished so much. I celebrated, I explored, I grew, and I did a lot of things I told myself that I would. With pushing all of my limits came consequences. Feeling tired was an everyday thing. I also had two major health scares that included a disabling headache that lasted for four days straight and a ringing in my ear that caused temporary loss of hearing and lack of balance. It was more than scary, it was a wake up call to learn to prioritize better. It was a wake up call not to recognize when I’m doing myself more harm than good by running myself thin.

Not only did 2017 test me, I tested myself. I rarely took breaks in the name of “work” and that left me burnt out, overwhelmed and exhausted. In 2018, I’m dedicated to working just as hard in my business but more importantly, even harder to make sure that I take better care of myself. At the end of the day, if I’m not in the best shape physically, mentally and emotionally, I can’t give my best to anything else I want to pursue. We’ve been convinced that self care is monthly facials and massages or a bottle of champagne with pizza for a night in, but it’s much more than that.

I’ve learned the hard way that self care isn’t always glamorous and rarely involves lighting scented candles or dropping bath bombs in a tub. In fact, it’s actually much uglier than that. Self care is likely sitting at a table reviewing your debt and creating a plan to tackle it. It’s putting your phone down at 10 pm to make sure you can get out of bed the first time your alarm goes off for that 6 am workout. It’s being realistic about what you want to achieve and not over-promising results. It can even look like cutting ties with toxic people in order to better serve yourself. As much as we’re all aiming to achieve, self care should be preventative. It shouldn’t be something we result to after we use up every ounce of energy we have or cause ourselves to break down.

A lot of people are in the process of planning their 2018 New Years Resolutions, if they don’t already have them secured. Instead of planning to start a diet for the 10th time or committing to making a million dollars, I want us to focus on making resolutions to add value to our lives. Wake up and tell the people that matter to you that you love them, call your grandmother and take her to lunch, tell people you appreciate them so they know they’re cared for, schedule doctor and dentist appointments and create new habits that improve your overall well being. Read more books, get more rest and Find more ways to create passive income instead of exchanging time for money.

This year, let’s let self care mean being the hero of your life, not the victim. Let it mean rerouting what you do and how you do it until your everyday life isn’t something you need a vacation to recover from. It is no longer choosing a life that looks good over a life that feels good. It’s letting go of  some goals so you can focus more on others. It’s being honest even if that means you aren’t universally liked. It’s meeting your own needs so you aren’t constantly anxious and dependent on other people.

Self care this year means doing better and becoming the person you know you want and are meant to be. Someone who knows that bath bombs and champagne are ways to enjoy life – not escape from it. I hope your 2018 looks exactly how you imagine. I’m going to try my damnedest to make sure mine does.