Unselfish Self-Care to Improve Your Life

In order to care for others, we must also care for ourselves. Self-care isn’t selfish; instead, it’s essential to our health and well-being. Scheduling self-care activities as regular routines can support daily living and long-term health benefits.

SLOW DOWN THE PACE – The pressure of urgently meeting deadlines and getting to appointments on time can trap us in the whirlwind of a frenzied pace. Even taking just a few extra seconds to think about what you’re doing and the direction you’re heading can be beneficial.

LET GO OF NEGATIVITY that festers and replace it with positive affirmations. Learn to unconditionally love yourself and others, focusing on core needs for health, healing and well-being. It’s easy to be a pawn to negative emotions that get bottled up inside; even the littlest things can have a detrimental effect.

DEVELOP A PLAN to guide your self-care routines. The key? Consistency and remembering why you’re doing it. Streamline your list. To keep on track, set daily reminders. Keep a written plan available on your phone where it’s easily accessible. And be patient with the process since forming new habits takes time, two months or even longer according to research.

REMEMBER GRATITUDE – In addition to adopting healthy routines, improve your health and well-being from the inside out. Before you get moving in the morning, internally express your gratitude and feel the joy and excitement of starting a brand new day. Recall a few good memories accompanied by good feelings that you want to hold onto. Then, taking deep breaths, remind yourself that you will have more and more new good memories just waiting to be experienced.

START AND END YOUR DAY WITH A SERENITY PRAYER OR AFFIRMATION – Read or say this aloud however many times it takes to sink in and be believed, visualizing and internalizing who you want to be, where you want to go, the way you want to feel and what you want to achieve. Breathe deeply, stretch gently and say to yourself:

Here I am, alive for a reason, and grateful to experience another day of life. I am uniquely beautiful inside and out, always worthy and valued no matter how I feel or what others may think or say. No one can take this away.

I am empowered to make better choices that allow me to live my life to the fullest. I fully embrace who I am and where I am now, with plentiful potential to improve my life and world in whatever way I feel called to. I am a strong overcomer of obstacles or adversities and believe there are solutions to issues that can be remedied. If I need help, I can ask for it.

I have no need to hold onto any negative feelings or emotions, including shame or guilt. And, I am free from any and all emotional baggage or negativity that’s projected at me. I have what it takes to realize my full potential. I don’t need to feel stressed or pressured into performing or pleasing others. I will embrace the power or peace and seek to live in harmony with others. I will make meaningful connections to build the bonds of real relationships based on honesty, trust, integrity and loyalty.

Baby steps add up, and eventually, I can cover many miles, just as water droplets eventually become a pool of water. I can celebrate small success and be proud of who I am and what I’ve worked hard on. God has given me unique gifts that I can use for the benefit of myself and others. And, whatever I didn’t accomplish or achieve, I can make total peace with and focus on what I can and did do instead.

REMEMBER THE R’S – Reflect, Reassess, Reconsider, Reconfigure, Recharge, Rest

Remember that no matter how out of control or trapped you may feel at times, you are free to choose and free to live. The healthier and more positive your mindset, mental perspective and spiritual stance, the more aligned and grounded you will be. This is your time and your life, so reclaim it. It’s time to be the best you.

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Susan B. B. Schabacker

Forsyth Magazines writer since 2018. Susan Schabacker was blessed to be adopted as a baby and made her journey from South Korea to Massachusetts where she arrived safely into her adoptive mother’s loving arms. She later moved to New Mexico and, after a few years, moved to Winston-Salem, NC, to study classical ballet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from the eighth grade through high school. Susan has lived in the Piedmont Triad area for nearly 20 years and had the opportunity to travel to Budapest, Hungary; London, UK; and Beijing, China, where she studied abroad through Elon University. In Stockholm, Sweden, she had a marketing internship at Hachette-Filipacchi, publisher of Elle and other magazines. She graduated with a B.A. in Corporate Communications and a minor in Dance from Elon University. Susan loves writing and is pleased to have written for Winston-Salem Journal’s "Teen Page," Triad Living, KernersvilleMagazine, and of course, Forsyth Mags. She is a co-author of a children’s book, Huckleberry Robin, based on a three-generation true family story. Susan is grateful for her faith, family, and friends and is happy and excited to be part of the Forsyth Mags team. She spreads the word about Forsyth magazines and enjoys reading and sharing them with her family and friends every month.

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