The cycle of existence traces back to our origins as a species, we are born as a single individual often as a result of the union of two individuals, sometimes mutually by their own choice and sometimes circumstantially. As babies, our center of attention was centered only on ourselves, and the only way to get whatever we wanted all we had to do was to just open our mouths wide and cry out aloud. We were hungry we cried out aloud, we were sick we cried out aloud, we wished to be carried or cleaned we cried out aloud. Life seemed very simple, but as we began to grow older we grew more aware of our surroundings, our center of attention shifted from ourselves to our friends, family members, and loved ones, they seemed to be more concerned about us than we were about ourselves, our boundary of love attention, care concern diverted from ourselves to the people around us, we began caring for them in return for the love they showered on us, but off late in the race for providing ones loved ones with the best of everything available we tend to ignore the most trivial things that make us happy.
Now living in an age of social media where a lot of influencers preach about self care, self-acceptance, self-development, and self-love all the above terms seem to be the same, but there is a hairline difference among all.
SELF CARE
Self care in the common dialect refers to attending to oneself which is apt, but self care as a concept refers to attending to one's unattended choices that have lying buried down the years. Self -care need not need an expensive manicure appointment, it can begin with the most common things that are not using your well-grown nails to open container lids, or for men not to use the sleeve of their t-shirt as a handkerchief but to sponsor themself with the shade of one's favorite color of the softest of all fabrics.
SELF-LOVE
Self-love is a broader concept in which you stop compromising on the things that rob you of your happiness, acknowledge and practice things that make you happy to let the dopamine rush from within without the help of an outer aid. Self-love includes doing things not just for your body, but also for your mind and soul, you are more aware of your limitations and try not to devise or formulate ways to expand them.
SELF ACCEPTANCE
Self-acceptance is more of a realization with comes with time, may not always necessarily happen with aging for some people it happens earlier we do not try to fit into conventional standards or let people devise our timelines because we realize we are in our time zone.
SELF-DEVELOPMENT
Self-development involves a routine set of activities that an individual takes up to enrich one existing set of skills. Self-development can be spiritually, physically mentally any form of activity that can make one feel enriched or at peace with oneself is what makes up self-development.
Self-love, self care, self-development, and self-acceptance are all the above terms that have the term self in common. All the above-mentioned terms have the word self in common, the identification with one's true worth is what makes up the concept of one's self. The self within is what connects us to the higher being of existence and enables or encourages us to be a better version of one's previous identity opening ways to beautify the world around and beyond.
Self-love or self-indulgence is a concept that is aimed at acknowledging the unacknowledged; it need not be an expensive solo trip to an exotic location but just a coffee date with oneself in solitude and not loneliness.
Here are a few self care tips that may not make a person completely selfish but can enable him or her to become a happier soul.
1) SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX
When we live by people's expectations we unknowingly boundaries for ourselves. The advent of social media was basically to connect people across cities, states, countries, and time zones, as time passed by social media became more of an id of pretense. Be it your under-eye circles, or a dismantled relationship, social media comes to the rescue. We as people have been taught from childhood not to share our problems, to be strong, be defiant. But as we dig deeper and deeper into the virtual world, we forget to see the beauty in the things around us. The moon, for example, is not ashamed of its blemishes, it flaunts them. What I mean to say is there is no natural force or phenomenon in play like the rotation, revolution, and the change of seasons play to help the moon hide its scars. The heart emoji or the comments you receive on the picture you clicked 20 times before it was "Post approved " was only limited to that particular fraction of a second until the white heart turned red. It then resorted back to the regular scrolling.
2) AVOID EATING JUNK FOOD
Your body is a gift from god, it is within this particular body that the soul resides and it also serves as an instrument to connect with the Supreme Being. Faulty instruments often turn out to be dysfunctional hence our medium to connect with god is faulty the connection is faulty. Hence the easiest way to connect with god is to take care of the body. The easiest way to take care of your body is to avoid anything in excess. There is an old saying in English that says "too much of anything is bad." Junk and processed food have either too much salt or too much sugar hence it is a load on your digestive system which in turn affects bowel movement which leads thus irritability gradually reflected in our demeanor. It is not a one-day change but the easiest way to bring about a change is to find a home-cooked alternative to your favorite junk. The pizza that you relish, take time, make your kind with the smell of baked flour, along with the Mediterranean feel of crisp veggies of your choice, topped generously with cheese.
3) REARRANGE YOUR BELONGINGS AND SURROUNDINGS
Human beings as they were nomads in the Paleolithic age also moved from one place to another for a change that is because monotony is not the way of life. Now there is a very thin line difference between monotony and practice, practice is what part of a work in progress is, and an act is monotonous when it is repeated and rehearsed unconsciously and aimlessly. Thus changing the surrounding around us helps us not only to experiment with our creativity but also helps us get rid of a constant. Rearranging your bed, and your cupboard might not give you a dopamine high but yes it can be soothing to your eyes and make your life look less cluttered.
4) WATCH A SUNRISE OR A SUNSET
The day begins with the sunrise and ends with the sunset. The sun allows the moon to borrow its light; it leaves a message to empower the weak. Sunrise is the hour of peace and sunset is the hour of self-contemplation. The warm rays of the sun in the morning tenderly stinging your skin but at the same time not burning them is just a mere reflection of the higher inner soul. The sunset is an hour of self-contemplation, the hour when the warm hue of the sun and it's gentle enveloping behind a gigantic structure is the time when our inner voice feels heard and is waiting to be acknowledged. The time of silence when the birds return to their nests, people return from home after the days' toil and the world is getting ready to dive into a mode of rest is when all of us get to contemplate our activities and our life so far.
5) READ A BOOK ONCE A MONTH
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body hence, reading as a self care tip helps you to open the imaginary and idealistic world we all secretly crave to be a part of, hence reading opens up the clogged pores of our mind.
6) MAKE TIME FOR SOLITUDE
Taking one day out of your busy schedule once a week or going out on a solo trip once a year helps one to introspect and analyze oneself so far, when you travel solo you figure out things yourself hence traveling as a self care tip helps a person realize life is not as hard as it seems.
7) MEDITATE FOR AT LEAST 5 MINUTES A DAY
Meditation is something that helps you keep the tumultuous sea of unexpressed thoughts to erupt and let it out sometimes crying out loud or sometimes just real silence. Meditation thereby thus lessens the load of one's emotional baggage and have a great sleep and an even better morning, thus this is a self care tip that finds its place obligatorily in the self care regime.
8) DISTRIBUTE OR GIVE AWAY SOMETHING TO SOMEONE NEEDY
I used to hate my job of sitting with a laptop and negotiating with my clients spewing out jargon only to be recognized by my company at the year's end. But I began to hate it less when I realized the maid who washed my dishes wanted her daughter to do the same. The world always runs in a balance, somebody's summer is somebody's drought hence somebody's privilege is always somebody's luxury. Sharing a portion of one's privilege with the needy can help awaken the goodness within and thus a self care tip can enlighten the lamp of goodness within. I may not be able to promise my maid's daughter in the future but I can buy her a book and help her find her way to buy more.
9) ASSOCIATE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Had coffee met salt and vinegar instead of sugar and milk we would not have been able to relish espresso, cappuccino, or cold coffee. Hence the association with the right kind of people as a self care tip is important to bring out the best in oneself. Because it is rightly said opposites attract but similarities connect.
10) SPEND TIME WITH KIDS OR ANIMALS
Jesus Christ had once rightly said you won't be able to enter heaven unless you become like kids. Kids are carefree about the evil world developing around us, their innocence, and happy-go-lucky nature makes us ponder why at we take our lives so seriously. Animals on the other being an integral part of our ecosystem observing their day-to-day activities away from our screens makes us realize how much nature has to offer to us. Therefore spending time with kids and animals is a self care tip that is indeed therapeutic.
11) LEARN TO MAKE YOUR FAVORITE DISH
Cooking is an activity that is prevalent since the Paleolithic times, and food is not just an object of relishing but an emotion, thus learning to make your favorite dish can keep you engaged elsewhere rather than waiting for notifications to appear on your screen. We might not be able to master it at the first stroke but we need to be brave enough to put out our unfiltered imperfect pictures on social media with the message that it is a work in progress and that I as an individual need time to master the same. Hence cooking as a self care tip helps an individual to develop a diverse personality.
12) BE A PLANT PARENT
Green as a color is synonymous with nature and wildlife thus bringing a tiny sapling into your home premises can help us move a step closer to nature and reconnect with our roots. It is important as a self care tip because it instills in us a sense of responsibility, like de-weeding, trimming the dead edges, watering, and protecting it from predators.
13) DIP YOUR FEET IN HOT WATER FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES
The maximum weight of the human body is carried by our feet, and it is with the feet that we move the most hence our feet tend to be more stressed than the rest of the body. Hence when it comes to self care tips, taking care of the feet is important, dipping your feet in hot water for a while and rubbing oil preferably mustard to the soles can help one relax and have a good night's sleep.
14) HUG THE NEAREST TREE THAT YOU FIND
Research has shown that hugging a tree helps to release dopamine, serotonin, and other feel-good hormones. Hence hugging a tree is an underrated self care tip. From a spiritual point of view, after the human body is burnt in the case of Hindus, a portion of the ash is juxtaposed with the soil which is then transported by natural agents to the bottom of a well-grown tree and in the case of religions that observe the practice of burying the dead, the body decomposes and is mixed up with the soil, thus nourishing a tree.
15) KEEP YOUR BODY HYDRATED
The human body is 80% water hence if we deprive ourselves of water we are hampering the composition of our bodies, thus keeping ourselves hydrated is important as a self care tip for effective functioning of the bodily systems.
16) TALK TO GOD
There is one infinite source of existence, which is diversified into several branches, which takes the name of religion. No matter what road we take, all roads lead to one source f existence, the bottom line of all religions is peace and doing good to others. Thus just sitting silently in one place and letting your inner voice speak to you and hearing the inner voice within you, connects you to the infinite source of energy, hence as a self care tip is known to reduce anxiety.
17) CLEAN YOUR BATHROOM AND ADORN IT WITH THE SCENT OF YOUR CHOICE
Practically speaking, bathrooms are the only place where we spend a maximum of our time, secondly in a world of pretense bathrooms are the only place where we are ourselves whether it is removing the excess waste from our systems or it is pleasuring ourselves, the energy of the place thus transcends into our thought process thus taking care of our bathrooms is important as a self care tip because we are a total of the places we spend our time in.
18) LEARN TO SAY NO TO THINGS AND SITUATIONS
Let us imagine your workplace colleague has a farewell party, the wine is overflowing and you have been a teetotaler all your life, the idea of alcohol has never excited you, but just because everybody was sipping the liquid down, you decided to give it a try only to wake up the next morning with a stranger by your side and your brain banging against your head. Thus saying no to situations that later lead to regrets that are difficult to take is important as a self care tip.
19) WEIGH YOUR REGRETS AND DECIDE
Life is a choice of regrets we need to choose which regret is easier to take. For example, we have tons of junk food down the weekend which increases exponentially during the years leading to health complications, on the other hand, eat home-cooked food and cut off junk from our diet to lead a happy life. Now we need to measure the regret of falling sick during your dying years is greater or if the regret of cutting upon junk food and still having the energy to run around in your dying years is greater.
20) MOVE MORE THAN BEFORE
Consistency is the nature of mules hence it is vital as a self care tip to be inconsistent at times thus taking a 5-minute walk between your work schedule prevents a person from being a vegetable and helps enhance mobility and makes one agile.
21) BE OPEN TO REJECTIONS AND COURAGEOUS ENOUGH TO MOVE ON
Had there not been any rejections, we as humans would not have been able to realize our real worth thus being able to rejections helps us understand the process of being a work in process but sitting and crying over spilled milk only further corrodes a person's self care. Thus moving on from one's setback with an enthusiasm to start over again is important as a self care tip.
22) DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING
When you dance your body releases endorphins, hence dancing out your accumulated stress is a self care tip that all should adhere to.
23) CREATE A LIFE VISION AND MISSION
Having a road map makes it easier to reach our destinations hence creating a life mission and vision with timelines set is a self care tip that does not negotiate on your focus and helps you increase your productivity.
24) WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR TEENAGE SELF
Write a letter to your teenage self encouraging him or her to ask questions about sex, not to the school friend but to the biology teacher who reluctantly teaches the lesson on reproduction, stop chasing the school head boy or head girl you don't know what he is going to become like in the next ten years, encourage him or her to understand the body, it's a work in progress and it is all going to be ok in the end.
25) MAKE THE LIST OF THINGS YOUR PAST RELATIONSHIPS TAUGHT YOU
Hour by hour we ripe and hour by hour we rot, hence as we age our approach and philosophy towards life also changes, people, either meet in life to stay or to leave, we need to acknowledge the little moments both happy and sad we spent together and be grateful about it.
26) ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANCE OF A STABLE RELATIONSHIP
Nobody on earth can choose the family you were born into, whereas marriage is a medium that provides you with an opportunity to build the family you always wanted to have, hence acknowledging the presence of marriage as a self care tip can help us manifest the kind of energy and vibrations we wish to surround ourselves with.
27) FIND A MENTOR OR A GUIDING LIGHT
Understand the fact that having a mentor or a guiding light lessens the burden of overthinking on the individual, and understand that it is ok to ask for help because the moon borrows its light from the sun, hence having a mentor as a self care tip prevents an individual from tripping over n the road to following his dreams.
28) MAKE A LIST OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Making a list of your accomplishments as a self care tip is important as it helps you understand and analyze your real worth.
29) GRATITUDE JOURNAL
Being thankful to the universe for the things that you have received is a self care tip that makes you realize that life isn't as hard as it seems.
"I used to hate my job of sitting in front of a laptop and spewing Jargon, I don't hate it so much when the maid who washed my dishes wanted her daughter to do the same."
30) CHASE THINGS THAT YOU WANTED TO DO
Living by people's boundaries, only lets you set imaginary obstacles for an individual that never really existed in the first place hence acknowledging the inner voice is vital as a self care tip.
31) OPPOSITES ATTRACT BUT SIMILARITIES CONNECT
Associate yourself with like-minded people, the idea of opposites attracting one another is rosily romantic but being like-minded is the romance we all crave for.
32) TEACH YOUR MAID SERVANT HOW TO READ AND WRITE
Teaching an uneducated person how to read and write is something that helps us kindle the good Samaritan within us and hence is a great self care tip.
33) TRY EXPERIMENTING WITH STUFF YOU NEVER DID
A caterpillar would have remained a caterpillar if he had not broken his cocoon yes at first breaking out of the shell, the sunlight piercing through its eyes, the gush of wind would have been a little awkward, but later the thrill of soaring through the sky would have made it wonder why had he been lying stagnant for so long ?. Hence trying out new things is important as a self care tip.
34) SLOW DOWN BECAUSE GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME
Understanding that diamonds were not formed in a day is a fact of acceptance that is indeed vital as a part of our thought process and thus important as a self care tip.
35) ENJOY THE PROCESS AND THE PAIN
Enjoying the pain and process of self-development is something that we all need to acknowledge as a self care tip because we need to question our subconscious mind that is what is more painful, the changes happening in a caterpillar while transforming into a butterfly or the fact of remaining a caterpillar and dying as a caterpillar.
Good things take time, and the regret of giving up hits hard than anything else, we as individuals need to understand it is ok to be a work in progress and a masterpiece at the same time. Our only attempt every single day, when we wake up, should be to become a better person than we were previously and do good to the ones around, because in the end what remains is the good deeds left behind and loads of memories we create, that is what I define as the development of one's self and development of the society as a whole.