Importance of Self-care

Are you feeling drained and overwhelmed by the constant demands of daily life? Do you struggle to find time for yourself amidst work, family, and social obligations? If so, you’re not alone.

Many of us neglect our own needs in favor of pleasing others or meeting deadlines. But here’s the thing: self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential. And if you want to live a happier, healthier life, it’s time to make it a priority.

In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of self-care and share some practical tips for incorporating it into your daily routine. So, grab a cup of tea, get comfortable, and let’s dive in together.

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Taking care of yourself is one of the most selfless things one can do in my opinion! Because, when you take good care of yourself, you show up in life as the best version of yourself possible which helps you give more of yourself to the world.

Investing in self-care will give you the gift of a healthy body to function out of. This body is the vehicle that houses the life that enables us to do everything that we do, and everything that it encompasses – the body, the mind, the emotions and the spirit need constant nurturing to function at its best, just like a well-oiled machine needs maintenance to maximize productivity.

We humans may have not come with an instruction manual, but by virtue of being one of the oldest civilizations in the world, we have lived and learned the right way to care for ourselves to be living our best life.

How energetic, happy and explorative we are during the day largely depends on how we begin the day and how we slowed down the previous night.

A morning or night routine for wellness has become quite a cliche, but lets look at a few simple, truly enjoyable things from the Kal & Kai way of life that we can do in the morning and night that will completely elevate our lifestyle to a different plane altogether.

Morning Routine

Get ahead of the day :- Our tradition says that the first thought and the first action as soon as we wake up sets the precedence for the entire day. The moment we wake up, we are an emotional clean slate; Before the external triggers get to us, whisper a grateful prayer to yourself, let yourself feel thankful for anything, everything. Try doing this as an exercise even on days that you might feel shitty, and before long you will start to feel beautiful and grateful from inside. 

Water your insides :- When we were asleep, a lot of the recovery happens that involves flushing out the toxins. A good way to ensure a clean flush from the body is to drink a glass or two of warm water not by gulping, but by slowly sipping fully dedicated to that process of drinking without multi-tasking. I call this “watering your insides” like you would tend to your garden first thing in the morning.

Sun bathe :- One of the most common modern lifestyle diseases is a deficiency of Vitamin D. There is plenty of sun shine where we live and a lot of exposure to sun as well, but why are we still deficient of this one Vitamin? Because there is not enough absorption! The sun is best absorbed while your body is physically active. Ditch your indoor treadmill and take a 15 minute walk and bask in the sunny goodness. Bear in mind to wear minimal or light colored clothing to aid the sun absorption. It helps alleviate depression, uplift your mood and recharges your Vitamin D supply; all in one quick walk!

Stretch your muscles :- Muscles are strengthened by the tear-repair cycle. Every time we move or exercise to push our muscles, tiny tears occur that get repaired by the amino acids in the protein that we consume. But, in this process, muscles tend to get tight from over or underuse and in turn restrict our mobility. Incorporate a 5-minute routine to stretch the big muscle groups that will bring back agility to your body.

Practice mindfulness :- This is a big part of how well your mind performs through the day. There are a few different ways to approach this depending on your philosophical bent of mind. So, I am going to give a few ways by which you can discipline your mind and harness its full potential. Pick the one that appeals to you and practice it consistently at least for a month 

• Breath work – this is a huge science, but I am going to give you a smidgen. Sit with your legs crossed and close your eyes. Focus your mind on your breath and count your inhale and exhale. The goal of this exercise is to make your exhale last for 2-3 counts longer than your inhale. Initially, the inhale and exhale might be the same, but it is normal, slowly push towards one count more and then 2 and 3. 
• Asana Practice – Practice Surya Namaskar synchronized with your breath and sit or lay there still after and be aware of your mental state.
• Meditate – Sit still with your legs crossed and eyes closed and do nothing. Watch your mind to stay focussed on one thing and not wander, but when it does, gently re-align your focus. Become aware of your mind slowing down and settling.
• Bottle yoga – If you are a non-conformist and all of the above are too intense for you, lets try doing this no-brainer of an exercise – Take a bottle with a really small opening at the top and a glass of water, and fill the water into that bottle. You need to keep your mind focussed on this one activity to fill the bottle without spilling and repeat this a few times to get your mind to focus and settle. Stay in that state of awareness. I would like to make light of this and call it “Bottle Yoga” (LOL)

Night Routine

Early Dinner :- The last meal of the day must be at least a good 3 hours before bedtime. This wellness tip is also one of the easiest ways to lose weight. If this is diligently practiced for an extended period of time, you will notice regular bowel movements the following morning, much less bloating and increased metabolism and better quality of sleep.

Light clothing :- Switch to loose minimal clothing during nights to ensure that your skin breathes and is able to flush out those lymph nodes so that you can wake up to glowing youthful skin.

Dim your lights :- Switch to dimmer lights a few hours before going to bed that helps inform the body to unwind. Our body has a circadian rhythm based on the sunlight and the lack of it, that helps inform the body to produce certain hormones to induce sleep/rest and recovery cycle. But, with all the artificial lighting in our homes, we need to simulate the feeling of dusk to darkness by slowly dimming the lights to darkness to send the right signals to our brain to start unwinding.

Love yourself :- Show yourself some love by caressing your feet and palms for working for us all day. Massaging your extremities sends a signal of relaxation to our brain. The gentle touch and caressing also releases the happy hormone making us feel loved. If you have a bedside partner, use this as an opportunity to bond by massaging their feet. Trust me! It is as much a gesture of self-care as it is of sweetness towards your partner.

Journalling :- Jot down your dominant thoughts in a notebook. This is a way of activating your awareness to see what you have been thinking and how you have been feeling through the day. This seems like it is doing nothing for a while. In a small way, it will help empty your mind preparing you for a deep rest, but, over a period of time, you will come to realize that you are a lot happier and have more command on the way you feel and it is an incredible space to be in. 

It is possible that you are doing a lot of these activities already, if not, start with one or two and stick with them for a month before you take on the next activity. Please don’t overwhelm yourself by taking on too much too soon. The idea is to enjoy these practices while you are doing them even before you start to enjoy the benefits from these processes. 

This is how we make self-care a priority, which can change your life for the better. Take that extra 10 minutes out of your day for yourselves. You deserve your time. You deserve to be a better YOU. Show up for yourself.