Normally, when one speaks of self-care, the first thing that comes to mind is a long hot bubble bath and a scented candle-lit alone time in a cozy place, usually being cut-off from the world. Well, this is just a part of the self-care journey, the real journey begins within.
Self-care is not just about maintaining one’s external appearance like getting a new haircut/color, shopping for expensive dresses, going out for unnecessary trips, etc., it is more about balancing out the positives and the negatives around us. This can only be done when one has a sound mind and body which comes from inner engineering or rewiring of the soul.
But how can this inner revival be achieved? Let’s see:
Setting boundaries
Before going into deep introspection of one’s soul and making peace with oneself, it is important to set external boundaries that can create hurdles in the path towards that soul-searching. Do you have a co-worker that too annoying or nosy and doesn’t let you finish your work on time? Be clear and straightforward with them and try to avoid them instead of arguing and wasting your positive energies.
Limiting access to yourself for others is a wonderful form of self-care that makes people aware of your principles and respect them. Learning to say “no” can be difficult for some as it is criticized as being socially impolite, however, it is the ultimate form of a polite sense of self-respect and honoring one’s inner peace.
Setting external boundaries is the key to safeguarding your positive energies and shooing off the negative ones.
Being forgiving, and moving forward
Compassion is also a form of self-care. When you forgive someone who is not even guilty, you let the negativity and stress of revenge and resentment be released from within. This shows that the negativity of the other person is not something that you keep within you and do not allow it to take over your peace.
Thus, forgiveness will make you move on towards better things in life with a clear and clean soul and mind.
Indulging in wellness activities
Wellness and mindfulness are essential for a peaceful soul, mind, and body. This is the highest form of self-care where your mind and body are aligned with the universal energies. This might sound too spiritual to some but it is as practical as it can be.
Simple daily yoga and meditation sessions can bring in the much-needed peace, calm, and soul-searching method in your life that you have been looking for. To further increase the calmness, however, one can indulge in long hot baths with aromatic candles and such stuff. This will balance your inner and outer cleanliness and calmness. The elements of the universe: earth, fire, water, and air are the sources of aligning us with the energies of the universe.
Thus, stay close to nature by staying close to plants, soil, fire, water, etc.
There are many aspects of self-care: emotional, physical, social, and spiritual. These all need to be taken care of and addressed equally to create a highly balanced mind and body alignment. But the secret is to maintain a more inner change within than the outer one as spirituality and emotional growth happen from within, not through physical appearance.
Thus, take care of your body and mind, your soul will be elevated through them.