Self-Care Isn’t Selfish – It’s How You Blossom and Grow.
Gardening provides wonderful analogies for how we should look after ourselves. You might be an orchid, requiring a gentle approach or you may see yourself as a dandelion, able to survive whatever is happening, but are you surviving rather than thriving? Plants are just like us, they don’t thrive on their own - they need the right conditions: just the right amount of sunlight, water and attention for their own needs Each plant requires something different. We are the same, our personal growth doesn’t just happen; we need to tend to ourselves, in the way that works for us.
Self-care isn’t about long complicated routines or rituals It’s about checking in with yourself and asking: What do I need right now? What haven’t I had enough of? What have I had too much of? What have I given too much of?
Asking yourself these questions might help:
- Did I get enough sleep this week?
- Have I moved my body in a way that felt good?
- Did I drink enough water and eat food that nourished me?
- Have I taken a break - just for me and no-one else - even for 10 minutes?
- Have I shared how I’m feeling (happy or sad), either with someone I trust or by writing it down?
- Have I done something that made me feel joyful or peaceful?
- Was I able to say no to something that would have drained me?
Think of these questions as prompts, a nudge towards thinking about what you need, what’s just right for you and then begin to add self-care to your daily habits.
That’s what self-care is; a quiet, repeated choice to take care of yourself, not just to get somewhere or be someone, but because you matter.
You can’t pour from an empty cup - and you can’t grow a garden from a bare patch of ground. When you make self-care a habit, you are building the foundation for real, lasting growth. You are the garden, what do you need to grow?