SELF CARE

This last week, the Chamber staff has been focusing on self-care as we prioritize professional development in the 2021 year. What do you do for self-care? For the record, spending an extra five minutes in your car when you drive into your driveway to jam out to your favorite song or hiding away in a bathroom or closet to enjoy a dessert is most definitely considered self-care. Self-care is supposed to bring you peace, a sense of calm and joy. If you have it, use your time-off to enjoy a day all about you or just try to be diligent about taking lunch breaks so you get a moment to rest your mind. Self-care is important and something we struggle with. I, for one, go in spurts. Somedays I am really good at doing the things that bring me peace and then there are the other days. I am sure my colleagues notice the other days because my stress and patience is sitting at opposite ends of the spectrum.

There are four categories self-care falls into: physical, emotional, social and spiritual. Full disclaimer, depending on the educational site you are viewing, there are longer lists that encompass more detailed categories. Regardless, by looking at categories of self-care, we can focus on different areas of need and tailor our self-care to those domains.

Self-care is not selfish. Nope, it's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself and to make your happiness a priority.