Sarah Coleman: A little bit on self-care – Steamboat Pilot and Today

Self-care is not selfish. Self-care is not a luxury. Self-care is not easy. Self-care is very important.

When it comes to self-care, we often think about things like massages and/or lots of downtime — although both are great. We think that we might not have time for extra pampering or taking care of ourselves. We have all heard the words, “please put on your own mask first before helping others,” right?

This means that we cannot begin to care for others — or our work or our to-do list or our sanity — if we aren’t taking care of ourselves. Here are a few simple and maybe different tips to get some well-deserved and much-needed self-care in your life.

• Have a large glass of water first thing in the morning. Start the day hydrated and ready to rock.
• Take a new route to work to mix it up. Maybe even chose a different mode of transportation. Have some work to do, take the bus. Need some fresh air, ride a bike. Need some connection or gossip time, car pool with a friend.
• Take a break in your day. Give yourself five minutes to dance, sing, walk in the grass, close your eyes or pet the dog.
• Splurge. Buy yourself a treat once a month. Ice cream, donate to the animal shelter, a new hat, you get the idea.
• Write down one thing that you are grateful for right now. The attitude of gratitude is awesome on many levels.
• Say no. Go ahead, practice. Saying no means saying yes to yourself. Decline an invite and enjoy some you time — sky’s the limit.
• Sit in the hammock or rocking chair with no technology. Listen to the air and the birds.
• Release your inner child. Draw on the sidewalk, blow bubbles, make a fort, spray a water gun. Go ahead, enjoy a moment of fun or two.
• Sleep outside. On the deck, under the stars, in a tent, in the driveway. Get a great night’s sleep.
• When in doubt, burpee it out. You didn’t think I was going to forget to mention exercise? Carve out some time to get moving. Any form of movement will do to help your state of mind and being.

Take care of yourselves, my friends. Wash your hands. Wear a mask. Be kind to others. 

Sarah Coleman is a wellness coach at The Foundry, a personal trainer, CrossFitter and coach at Steamboat CrossFit, food connoisseur at Bitchin Kitchin and outdoor enthusiast everywhere.