The Need For Self Care

"You are your home. Take care of yourself."-Unknown.

Happy November! I was going to talk about gratitude this month, but honestly that was not what was on my heart to talk about. As someone who is deep in school work and working multiple jobs, my self care has been something I am having to consciously prioritize. It has not been easy, there are weeks where I am drowning in my life and completely forget how important my self care is. I only realize I've forgotten when my room is a mess, I'm struggling to make it through my days without a nap, and I am getting behind on my work and life.

November is a hard month for so many people, and so many reasons. We might have school and work, finals are nearing the end of the month, for some its Thanksgiving and family time can bring stress, even if your close to them. So this month I want to focus on the need for self care.

Someone close to me recently had a discussion about how do we know what to prioritize and how do we make sure we don't burn out? Sometimes we want to pick up a thousand crafts and projects, we overcommit ourselves assuming we have the time in our day. We may have that time, but what is getting kicked out of your routines? Is it your sleep?, or Healthy meals?, Your quiet time?, Moving your body?

Self care is essential. It's not just skin care and baths, its an encompassing care of your mind, body, and spirit. The more we prioritize self care, the less likely a burn out will happen, the more we will be able to do, the more energy we will have.

How are we doing all of this? How are we balancing the drowning amount of work that life throws at us? Well, I start with making a list of all the things I need to do work & school wise. Then I reorganize this list by importance and due dates.

Now, if I ONLY focused on whats on that list, I'd work myself tirelessly, stress myself out, and probably fall asleep mid-way through my list because I didn't focus on my self care.

So now, write a list of the self care you value most.

This is mine:

• Sleep

• Good Food

• Journaling

• Doing What I Love

• Quiet Time

• Fresh Air

• Reading

• Moving My Body

Now lets prioritize this. Since this list doesn't change as often as our to do list, I like to make this a pie chart to draw out and remind myself on a daily. Yours will likely look a little different, but I encourage you to make one of these too! It doesn't need to be perfect, but play around with what self care is most essential to YOU.

This is my self care pie chart:

Now as I complete my to do list, I make sure that I have scheduled time for my self care throughout my week and day. Not everything on that pie chart is a daily thing, but at least two or three at minimum should be completed. If you are more crunched on time, focus on the biggest two in your pie chart.

So what if I don't have time? This is where priorities come in. I know that I could easily skip all forms of self care and get my work done. But I will be so drained, it will be dreadful. So instead, I'm learning to decide when I've done enough that I can so I can prioritize my self care. I

Honestly, its a simple idea that many are aware of, but I've had so many talks with people recently, friends and family alike, where this concept seems foreign because life loves to distract us. So this is your reminder to prioritize your self care, because it is so so needed.

I hope you all have a lovely November. Remember you can find more on our Instagram @beeveryera !!!

Love you all little bee's,

Brooklyn.