Self care gets a bad rap sometimes because people assume self care is selfish and only you should take care of yourself. That’s simply not true; all of you benefit when you’re taking care of you. Self-care is about spending time and energy on you doing things that improve your physical and emotional well-being, like sleeping well (rest), eating well, exercising, and positive stress management.

To have a great self care whether you take time out of the day for yourself to do self care activities or not, here are some suggestions for self care. Although everyone is unique, using these ideas as ideas and taking action on them can help you feel and be better.

■ Take care of your well being physically.

You have heard the cliché, but we need to hear it again, “You are what you eat,” right? Well, it’s true – eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of sleep can make a huge difference in how you feel. When you feel better, your productivity is better and work is more enjoyable. Taking the time to exercise and keep your body active can also make you feel good. Spending all of your time doing fun and relaxing things (like taking a weekend trip to the beach or going to a Saturday matinee) can also give you reassurance, increase your muscle tone and help you look and feel better too.

■ Take care of your well being emotionally and mentally.

We are not our self, we are our self. How many times have you heard your code word when you’re being told to keep a cool head in heated situations? “Be calm and relaxed,” “Don’t take it too seriously,” “Don’t take everything so seriously,” or “Don’t get emotional, just stay cool”? When we are in the heat of the moment, how many times do you dwell on the things you did or DIDN’T do during the broadcast of your life? When you cross that off of your list, you will feel better mentally and emotionally. To do this, practice self-hypnosis. Sometimes it’s helping just to get a word into thematter or just repeat the phrase over and over again, helping yourself to switch gears and get some space and perspective. There’s a cool thing you can do, so you will feel better about yourself and who you are.

■ Take care of your professional self, as a business women.

Determining your focus, shutting down theother corner grouper and having quiet time for yourself the last thing you need is a productive time to accomplish quality work. Don’t post online during your work time – because when you need a break, that information is not accessible for customers, other colleagues, or clients.

It’s necessary to decide what personal activities you want to do from time to time, and just see what you want to do, because self care does not really matter if you don’t decide to take care of it and plan for it.

■ Take care of your personal well being those days, so you feel great about yourself in your business.

When you are working on your business and feeling worn out, it is important to look at your life and take good care of yourself. This includes eating well, sleeping well, looking and feeling great, and taking quality time for yourself at the following:

It’s just as important if you’re not living the life you desire to be living. Make a purpose and plan and create a clear direction for your business and your life by bringing New Year’s Resolutions to life!

Self-care is a priority in your life. Choose your priorities, determine what you want – and take the steps to do what you need to do to live that life now and into the future.

With the tips above, you can take care of yourself and honor your business and your life at the same time.

The last step (and it’s something you’ve likely already done on some level):

Be aware of what you are resisting.

Why? Notice the situations or fun scenarios that get in the way of you putting your needs first. Sometimes, it’s easy and clear to tell friends what we want to do and say to others. Sometimes it’s not so clear to us; it’s why we’re in pain. It may be exhaustion, fear, unclear expectations, fear of failure, or even how others see you. Sometimes being what other people tell you to be is just not going to work. It’s time to be authentic and be 100% FULLY and strips down to the essence of yourself.