Kimberley Crossman

We all know it’s important to take care of ourselves, but not many of us actually do it. Few of us really understand the true importance of knowing our boundaries, not your friend’s boundaries or even your parents, but yours.

So you’re probably thinking, okay I want to take care of myself, how can I do this? Well luckily I have a few handy hints on how to do just that.

Learn to love yourself
You need to accept who you are. Accept all faults about yourself and try and live with them, they are after all, who you truly are. If you try and get rid of those faults, whatever they are, you will mostly likely be unsuccessful. So all in all, it’s just best to accept your faults as best as you can and try to look at them in a different light. Maybe as blessings opposed to curses.

Go for a run or walk to relax, watch your favourite TV program or movie, buy a magazine, eat some ice cream or even take a hot shower. You deserve it. What for? Just being yourself. By doing any of the above things, you are taking care of the most important person in your life. No, not your boyfriend or your best friend, but you.

Be positive and compliment yourself
When a negative thought pops into your head like ‘I am not good maths’ then think of something you are good at. If you can’t think of something positive right at that moment, then fake it until you do. If you’re still feeling down about that one tiny negative thought then stand up tall, smile and like I said before, fake it. In no time at all you will be feeling happy and positive once again.

Treat your body well
A big part in looking after yourself is managing to be fit. Treating your body well is always a major step in feeling good about yourself. Now even if you’re one of those people out there who think ‘oh no’ when they hear the words ‘exercise’, don’t worry. There is a way to make exercise fun. Gather a group of friends to go for a run together or even a walk to the beach. Take a yoga class (excellent for the mind as well as the body) or even do some dance.

Eat well
Another way of being fit is to watch what you eat, that means not binging out on chocolate or fast food every single day! Remember you can still have junk food, but in moderation. Something else to remember when you are trying to decide between that chocolate bar or a piece of fruit is that you will feel much happier if you go for the healthy stuff. It’s just a natural of the body and mind to feel this way.

And finally, something you really need to know. It’s way more important to look after yourself before others. I know, it sounds really selfish and all, but if you think about it, it really is true. How can you look after someone close to you, if you can’t even look after yourself? You, even without realizing it, could be doing more damage than actually helping them.

So your challenge for this week is to take some time out for YOU!

Tori Johnson