The Ultimate Guide to Self Care for Women

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What is Self Care?

What do you think of when you hear the word self care? You might be thinking about a massage, a day of shopping, or even a trip to the spa.

Some of you might hear self care and think that it is selfish or self-indulgent. Maybe you hear self care and think you don’t have the time or money for it. 

Self care is simply being intentional about taking care of yourself. It means that you are identifying what your needs are and that you are taking time to meet those needs. You are telling yourself and others that you matter. 

Why is Self Care for Women Important?

When you practice self care you can improve yourself spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. You can also improve your overall happiness. With that being said, please note that self care is not just a suggestion; it is essential to your well-being. 

Practicing self care is a way of showing love and compassion towards yourself, and a way of telling yourself that your needs are important too. As women, this is something we often struggle with since many of us are natural nurturers and we want to take care of others.

But it is just as important, if not more important, to take care of yourself. If you do not take care of yourself, you may get to a place where you are no longer able to care for those you love. 

When we are spiritually taking care of our self we are growing in our relationship with God. We are putting prayer at the forefront of our lives instead of just an afterthought.

Think about how you feel after reading some scriptures. How about after you have spent a few minutes praying to God? Do you feel more energized and empowered? Do you feel a new level of boldness?

The word of God is the Living Word (Hebrews 4:12) and I don’t know about you but I know that it always gives me life and hope. There is a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) when I give my worries to God. When I lay down my burdens to Him I can find rest. 

When you are taking care of your physical health you just start to feel better. Changing your diet may make you more energized or even feel lighter. Think about how you feel when you get your body moving around.

How do you feel after going for a walk or putting on some good music for a dance party? When you take care of your physical self you may end up lowering your blood pressure, losing some weight, or even putting a stop to those headaches. 

When you are taking care of your mental and emotional health you may notice that you start to see things more positively. The darkness that you may have felt engulfed by might start lifting and getting lighter.

You might start seeing things from a different perspective; a healthier perspective. Maybe you will feel empowered to let go of some of the negative thoughts in your head. You might even make a decision that changes your life for the better.

If you get nothing else out of this I just want to remind you that you are important and that your needs matter. You are worth being taken care of. You deserve the love, kindness, and compassion for yourself.

Self Care for Women

Spiritual

• READ SCRIPTURE: The most important thing we can do for ourselves is to have a relationship with God. When we’ve read God’s Word we know precisely what He is telling us and what He thinks about us.
  
  It gives us the wisdom and understanding that we are searching for. Start your morning with the word of God. You could use a devotional or reading plan or just pick a scripture you feel like reading. 
  
  
• PRAY: Prayer goes hand in hand with knowing the Word of God. It’s not only important to know the word of God but it is important to take time to have a conversation with God.  It’s essential to start your day with prayer, but you should be talking to God throughout your entire day. 
  
  
• FAST: When we take the time to do a spiritual fast it forces us to get rid of all of our distractions for a set time and bring our focus back to God. I have done fasts for one day, a weekend, 3 days, and even a whole week.
  
  Every time I do a spiritual fast I have a breakthrough and received revelation about whatever I am asking God for. Click here for one of my favorite teachings about fasting by Dr. Myles Munroe. 
  
  
• DREAM AGAIN: Take some time to dream again about all of the desires you had as a child. What were your hopes and dreams? What were you passionate about?
  
  Bring those thoughts back to remembrance. It is not too late for your dreams to come true. You have to believe that you deserve the things that you desire. You are worth it! 

Physical

• GET UP AND MOVE: It is good for our physical health to make sure we are active. Whether you work in an office or work from home, be intentional about moving your body.
  
  Take a 30-minute walk or even three 10-minute walks throughout the day. Go to the gym or turn on a workout video on YouTube. Your body will start feeling better the more you take care of it.
  
  
• HAVE A DANCE PARTY: Maybe you don’t like doing traditional workouts, so have a dance party instead. Turn on your favorite dance music and turn it up as loud as you can. Get your groove on and dance like nobody is watching. 
  
  
• CHANGE YOUR DIET: Some of the foods we eat made can make us feel sluggish or sick. If you change your diet and start to incorporate healthier foods you may notice that your body starts to feel lighter and more energized.
  
  I’m not saying you have to give up all of the foods you enjoy. You may just consider cutting back or having smaller portions.
  
  Find healthy options that you enjoy eating and not force yourself to eat food that you find gross just for the sake of eating healthier. From personal experience, I can tell you that it is hard to stick to a healthy eating plan if the food is disgusting or flavorless. 
  
  
• GET SOME FRESH AIR: Go outside and get some fresh air. There is something about being outside that does a body good. Let the sunshine beat down on your face and let the fresh air fill your lungs. You might go for a walk, hike, or just lounge in a chair.
  
  
• GIVE YOURSELF A PEDICURE: One of my favorite gifts that I got from my husband was an electric foot file. I often complained about how rough my feet would get, especially between professional pedicures.
  
  I also have my own foot spa bath to soak my feet when they are sore or just need some TLC. Now I can file my own feet and use my favorite lotion to give myself a pedicure. 
  
  
• TAKE A NAP: Sometimes your body just needs rest. Go ahead and take the nap. Your body deserves it. If you find that you are not getting enough sleep figure out a way to get to bed earlier if you can or sleep in a little longer if you can. 

Mental & Emotional

• NO IS A COMPLETE SENTENCE!: You read that correctly, NO is a complete sentence. You do not have to give a reason or excuse for telling somebody NO. I lived my life as a people pleaser since I was a little girl.
  
  Saying no to people was one of the hardest things for me to do. I was so concerned with what other people thought of me that I put their needs above my own. I would say yes to the needs of others even if it was detrimental to my own needs.
  
  Once I decided to take control of my own life I slowly but surely started to tell people no. I had to internally force myself not to give an excuse or reason for my answer. I had to start giving NO as a complete and final answer. 
  
  
• TALK KINDLY TO YOURSELF: Many of us speak kind words to other people and save the most negative and toxic words for ourselves. It is time to change the way you speak to yourself. It is time to speak kind words and positive words to yourself.
  
  It is time to embrace yourself and remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). You are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) and should talk to yourself as His child (Galatians 4:7). 
  
  
• REMOVE TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS: We all have people in our life that spread so much negativity. You have permission to remove every toxic relationship from your life. You are not responsible for them.
  
  No matter how bad they try to make you feel about yourself, know that you deserve better. Keeping toxic people around is not worth your mental and emotional health. You are worth more and should be surrounded by people who bring you joy, peace, and love. 
  
  
• PLAN A WEEKLY MENU: You may be wondering why this one is on the list but planning your weekly menu ahead of time can save you the time and stress of figuring out what’s for dinner each night. 
  
  Set aside some time to write out what you were going to eat for each meal and what grocery items are needed for each. This also helps you to write out your grocery list so you don’t find yourself going to the store every single day. 
  
  
• GO TO THERAPY: If you find that you need professional support to help you with some mental or emotional struggles, there is no shame in that. Therapy with an unbiased person can give you the tools and outlet that you need to receive the healing that you deserve.
  
  Online therapy is a great option for those who may not have a lot of time or money. Online therapy is a more affordable option and gives you so many more therapists to choose from. 
  
  
• TAKE A MENTAL HEALTH DAY: There are some days when you just need to stay home and take the break that your mind and body need. There is no shame in taking a mental health day. Oftentimes that one day of rest will renew your energy to keep going. 
  
  
• FIND A NEW JOB: Sometimes our job is the cause of so much stress because it is not the thing we are gifted for or it may be a toxic environment. If you are finding that your job is causing burnout it may be time to find something new.
  
  Don’t be afraid to change your career even if you went to college and got a degree. I was a teacher for 8 years and decided to resign because I was burnt out and I realized that teaching was not my passion.
  
  After a few more years of working at jobs that I thought would be a good fit, I finally made the leap and left my 9-5 to build my own business. 

Remember that self care for women is not just important, but necessary. I want to remind you that you are worth being taken care of. You have permission to take care of your own needs. Make a decision right now to start putting yourself first.

Start with choosing just one item from the list to get you going. What form of self-care are you going to start today?