4 Week Self-Care Calendar
This calendar is for us.
It can help us begin to establish a sustainable self-care routine that will allow us to recharge and maintain our mental fitness.
Self-care involves balancing two seemingly opposing ideals — radical self-compassion and accountability.
It often has very little to do with “treating yourself” and a whole lot do with parenting yourself and making choices for your long-term wellness. It is making the choice to build a life you don’t need to regularly escape from. It’s paying attention to your emotions and giving care to them. It’s scheduling in time to take care of yourself and treating yourself kindly on the days you can’t.
Self-care shouldn’t be something we resort to because we are so absolutely exhausted that we need some reprieve from our lives. It shouldn’t be about helping you become productive again. It’s an everyday practice, a way you live your life, and this includes how you relate to yourself every moment of the day. It is a reminder that you’re more important than productivity.
Making your bed, for instance, is a “keystone habit.” This is something that kick starts a pattern of other healthy behaviour and, in turn, provides you with a greater sense of well-being. This is because if you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. This will give you a small sense of pride, and will encourage you to do another task and another. It also starts to declutter your space which lowers stress levels.
Making time for self-care in our schedules can mean the difference between mental fitness and mental ill-health. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming or costly.