“Self-care is not selfish. You must fill your own cup before you can pour into others.”
Self-care is the practice of an individual looking after or prioritizing their own physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It involves performing activities to take care of your mind, body, and soul. Growth is a continuous process. It encourages us to constantly improve intellectually, morally, and spiritually.
Prioritizing doesn’t mean being selfish; it is just the need to take care of ourselves before we go help someone overcome their stress, so that the capacity to assist others won’t be limited in any manner. By practicing self-care, you inspire others and make them understand the importance of a balanced lifestyle. Self-care enhances productivity and rewards individuals with long-term success.
Self-care involves performing activities to take care of your mind, body, and soul. The mind is considered to be a friend of a conditioned soul as well as an enemy. The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady. We should not let the mind control our actions; instead, we should take control over the mind in order to achieve long-term and short-term goals effectively.
Controlling the mind can be challenging but achievable through various practices such as challenging your negative thoughts through rational thinking. Practicing deep breathing exercises can help calm the mind and reduce stress. The best way to divert the mind from all distractions is through reading scriptures and focused books. The mind should be devoid of duplicity, and one should be selfish when it comes to self-care but later on think of the welfare of all. Control of the mind means detaching from attachment, as attachment leads to ignorance and complete misery, which will jeopardize your routine work.
Regular physical activities improve the overall well-being of your body and its ability to function effectively. Physical health is interconnected with mental, social, and emotional health. It's important to protect your bones, joints, and muscles to be physically active. Achieving and maintaining good physical health can boost self-confidence and self-esteem. A healthy diet can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
“According to Vedic civilization, the perfection of life is to realize one’s relationship with God.… All living entities are parts and parcels of God. The parts are meant for serving the whole, just as the legs, hands, fingers, and ears are meant for serving the total body. We, living entities, being parts and parcels of God, are duty-bound to serve Him.”
We often misinterpret our identity, believing ourselves to be the body rather than recognizing that we are, in fact, souls. A body without consciousness is considered to be a dead body. As soon as consciousness is removed from the body, the five senses stop working, so indeed consciousness proves that the soul is present. Aligning your life with your spiritual values can help you to let go of negative emotions and thoughts and replace them with positive ones. This can lead to increased happiness, contentment, and peace of mind.
A spiritual life encourages us to focus on things that are more important than the material world. Actually, our position is that we are always rendering service to someone, either to our family, country, or society. If we have no one to serve, sometimes we keep a pet cat or dog and render service to it. All these factors prove that we are constitutionally meant to render service, yet in spite of serving to the best of our ability, we are not satisfied. Nor is the person to whom we are rendering that service satisfied.
On the material platform, everyone is frustrated. The reason for this is that the service being rendered is not properly directed. For example, if we want to render service to a tree, we must water the root. If we pour water on the leaves, branches, and twigs, there is little benefit. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead is served, all other parts and parcels will be automatically satisfied. Consequently, all welfare activities as well as service to society, family, and nation are realized by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In conclusion, self-care involves taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being to achieve balance in life. It is not selfish but essential for our ability to help others effectively. Aligning with spiritual values can bring positivity and peace, reminding us that we are souls, not just bodies. Ultimately, serving the higher power can lead to satisfaction in all aspects of life and bring about true welfare for ourselves and the world.