“If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.”

Ann Richards

What does “self care” mean to you? Do you see this solely through the lens of fitness and working out? That can be an easy definition, but there is so much more encompassed by this phrase. Some definitions of self care include the terms, “mental, emotional, & physical health” and while I like what those words convey it can be a little clinical for my tastes. I prefer to use “spirit, mind, body” and evaluate my health with these questions.

Spirit – Am I living a life attuned to a purpose greater than myself? Have I taken much needed and necesary time alone to seek alignment and discern deeper meaning and purpose?

Mind – Have I actively and intentionally challenged my mind in some way today? Am I regularly, and with great intent, choosing to learn something new and push my cognitive limits beyond what I might otherwise think is possible?

Body – Is my physical health a priority in my day? Am I making smart choices that will pay dividends years from now or am I choosing to sacrifice long-term health for near term pleasures?

The key here is to realize, and believe, that by prioritizing your own health in these segments of your life you are enabling your best self. When you do you are creating a gift for those whom you love the most. If you can’t take the the time to be your best for those you love, by default you are choosing to give them a watered down version of yourself.

You have a responsibility to be more than a pale representation of the person you could be. You have a responsibility to be the entirety of the person that you were made to me. In order to make this happen, you have to take care of yourself. If you don’t, who will?