Welcome back to the blog, it’s Tatyana here! Let’s talk about the guilt that often comes with self-care. We all know how important it is to take time for ourselves (or at least I hope you do), but sometimes we feel a little guilty when we realize we need to relax. It’s easy to shrug off stress and hope that it goes away when life calms down, but that’s not attainable. Guilt-free self-care is a must! 

Guilt-free self-care strategies to use

Stress is a natural thing. We all deal with it (and not always well). Stress is our brain’s way of telling us that something is overwhelming. There are so many things that cause us to feel overwhelmed, yet we often associate the feeling of stress with a negative life event. 

You’re stressed because you had a tough work day, you’re in the middle of a move or you’re experiencing sleep issues. Sound familiar? This form of stress is called distress, and too much of it over time can cause physical symptoms like fatigue, irritability, headaches and a decrease in performance. 

How do you deal with it, then? It’s not pouring another cup of coffee to get through the day or taking an Advil to relieve your headache until bedtime. The best way to deal with stress is to give yourself a break and time to actually … relax! 

Say goodbye to negative talk surrounding self-care

Yes, I said it. You need to relax. If you’re a go-getter type of person who has the tendency to deny your stress levels, the word relax might make your eyes roll. 

There’s a lot of negative talk associated with the idea of self-care and taking time to relax. You might think “If you have time to watch TV you have time to work on that (not so important) thing”. 

I get it. Relaxing is something I’ve personally always struggled with. Today’s culture is rise and grind, and it rewards hustle. It leads us to believe that if we aren’t consistently a productive member of society, then we’re wasting space. 

This is far from the truth! The truth is that your hard work is not proof that you deserve rest. Your existence is. 

Self-care is one of the best ways to prevent burnout. Even if you know this to be true, it’s still hard to tune out the negative talk. 

Some of the ways I encourage myself to take breaks and focus on guilt-free self-care is to remind myself of my accomplishments, or to remind myself that life won’t fall apart because I decide to take a break. 

And I can assure you, your life won’t fall apart either. 

What guilt-free self-care looks like

Forcing yourself to relax can cause even more stress. It’s important that you be patient with yourself and realize that self-care isn’t as easy as it seems – especially if you aren’t used to it! 

Sometimes there are tasks that need to get done, and that’s okay. Not everyone can take a full day off, and self-care isn’t about the two week vacation time you take each year. It’s about taking the little moments when you most need them. 

Self-care can be as simple as watching your favourite TV show after dinner or a walk around the block with your dog. If a 10 minute pre-bedtime yoga pose sounds good to you, click here to read our blog with tips on this self-care routine. As long as it’s something you enjoy and it doesn’t cause you more stress. 

It can be frustrating when you realize you need to take a break but you don’t know how to actually take one. It’s important to be patient with yourself. 

Take things slow and start small. Set boundaries for yourself when you start to feel overwhelmed and make it a habit to value breaks. 

Did you know that therapy counts as self-care?

Those 50 minutes of uninterrupted talking and listening time can be really great for the soul. We’d love to provide that for you. Visit our website to learn more about how we can help you, or send us an email at info@dochaspsych.com to chat! 

About Dochas Psychological

Dochas Psychological Services is a well-established and trusted therapy clinic located in Spruce Grove, Alberta. At Dochas we value the idea that everyone deserves a safe space. Through connection and education, our team works hard to build a trustworthy relationship with each of our clients. It is our goal to create a community for our clients to feel like they belong.

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