In a world of contradictories for women, one thing is certain – self-care is not selfish. In fact, committing to self-care is an act of self-love.

As women, it has been role modeled to us for generations to put the needs of others first. If you are a mother, your children come first. If you are married or in a relationship, your partner’s needs come first. When we were children and teen-agers, any act of self-love was frowned upon as being self-centered.

The truth is, if we don’t first take care of ourselves, how can we expect to take care of anyone else? As the saying goes before a plane takes off – put your oxygen mask on first before helping others.

Self-Care is Determined by Your Own Needs

We’re inundated with marketing that tells us how self-care should look, but the truth is, it is different for everyone.

It’s not just about making ourselves feel good with a spa day; it’s also about attending to what each one of us individually needs emotionally, physically and results in an overall healthy balance.

Self-Care Looks Different for Everyone

Self-care could mean determining your mental health would improve if you sought out therapy, cut ties with toxic people in your life; even cutting out lifestyle choices that simply hold no real value.

Loving yourself could mean destressing with a 3 mile run, allowing yourself to sleep in on the weekends or getting up earlier to squeeze in a workout.

It could mean a social media detox and committing to shutting down the phone/tablet/computer one day a week. Maybe it means starting a tradition of home cooked meals on Saturdays with friends for some face to face socialization.

Committing to self-care may look like starting a new hobby, increasing the frequency of travel,...

It’s that time of the year when the energy around a fresh start is palpable. This isn’t just any year, though; this is the beginning of a new decade; one that seems hopeful and full of possibilities.

However, fresh starts aren’t just reserved for January 1st, a new decade or the beginning of a new month. You can give yourself a fresh start every day. It’s all in our perspective.

 

1. A Fresh Start Requires a Goal

This is something to be intentional about. What is it you are looking to achieve? Decreasing anxiety? Improving relationships? Taking your health back?

Whatever your reason may be, you first need to think about how to get from point A to point B, because sometimes – actually most times – it’s a multi-step process.

For example, you’re tired of losing focus after lunch time and the subsequent 2pm crash – it’s affecting your creativity and ability to complete assignments. Your goal is to have sustained energy and focus throughout the day.

Achieving this goal would involve action steps of going to bed at a time that allows for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, eating a protein-rich breakfast, bringing water to stay hydrated, packing snacks that don’t spike your insulin level and eating a lunch with protein and veggies.

If you aren’t intentional in thinking through the “how” of your fresh start, you may not put in place all of the actions necessary to achieve your goal.

 

2. A Fresh Start Begins with a Decision

It's estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions each day, both consciously and unconsciously. Can you imagine using, even just a fraction of those decisions, to do something to align with...

Always seeing the bright side is simply about perspective. An optimistic view of everything, and one filled with gratitude, can have an overall positive impact on our health.

The signs of domestic violence are multi-faceted. From physical abuse to psychological and financial control, if you recognize any of these patterns, please seek help.

If you have a love for travel, we want you to feel secure while doing so. Read these 5 safety tips for women when traveling abroad.