Crochet is a fabulous self-care tool that many of us use without thinking about the benefits it provides. Self care is becoming a more talked about topic, but what is it and how does your crochet hobby fit in?
This guest article is written by Laura Bland, a writer specialising in supporting business women to empower them and supporting their wellbeing.
What exactly is self-care? You see that term everywhere, it’s all around us and being thrown about like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. But is self-care more than just a popular ‘buzz word’ and what do you really need to know about it? Isn’t self-care just having a relaxing bubble bath every now and then or getting a massage or going to the hairdressers? Why has it become such a big deal that we see literally everywhere, and why are there now coaches out there who are promoting self-care and teaching people about it? How did it get to be this huge thing? And is it really that complicated that we need someone to teach it to us?
Surely it is just common sense, when you get tired take a break, if you feel ill then see the doctor, if you’re unhappy then do something to change it. But if we’re all honest with ourselves, it isn’t as straight forward as that. Yes, the concept of self-care is simple and straight forward but the act of actually doing it certainly isn’t.
Women are rubbish…
Women are rubbish…at self-care. We have this inherent nature that makes us take care of everyone else and keep dropping our own needs to the bottom of the pile, and whilst that is lovely on some levels it is also very damaging on other levels. We’ve all heard the phrase by now “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, or “put on your own oxygen mask, before stopping to help others.” The simple concept of self-care is that if we do not do it then we risk burn out, and at that point we can’t help anyone let alone ourselves. I’ve been that woman saying ‘yes’ to everyone else and then feeling tired and exhausted myself but just carrying on regardless. I’ve been the one telling others that they need to take a break and be kind to themselves, but then ignoring that when it comes to my own wellbeing.
Self-care used to feel like a dirty word, it was as if I was somehow failing if I needed to stop and look after myself – which I now see is just ridiculous – but somehow I thought that I needed to be able to do EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME in order to prove myself. What a joke! How on earth I thought I was going to keep that up for the rest of my life I have no idea.
I was lucky…
I was lucky, I didn’t hit burn out, I didn’t get sick, there were no major life events that meant that I had to re-evaluate and change my lifestyle. I honestly was lucky, I was being mum, working part time and running my creative writing business, things could have gone really wrong. But I grew, I learnt and eventually I changed the way I did things. Through business and personal self-development, plus the nagging of my fantastic coach, I began to realise that no man, or woman, has to be an island. That there are always those around us that are willing to help us and that if we aren’t in that lucky position then it’s easier than you think to find ways to make time to look after yourself.
Self-care doesn’t have to be the big gestures that we often think of. You don’t have to spend a whole day on a shopping spree or a weekend at the spa. What I’ve come to realise is that the most important thing for self-care is to do something for yourself that you truly love. It doesn’t matter if that thing takes five minutes or five hours as long as it puts a smile on your face, lifts your heart and makes you want to sing.
Stuck on what to do? Here are some ideas
- Take a bubble bath – and oldie but a goodie, if you like to relax in the bath then go ahead and do it.
- Read a book – purely for pleasure, not a self-help business related book. Read just to enjoy it and lose yourself to another place and time.
- Get some exercise – I can’t promote this one enough. Exercise is so powerful at helping you to feel energised and refreshed and help you to reconnect with yourself.
- Get up 10 minutes before everyone else and enjoy the quiet – mediate or journal if you fancy it.
- Go to the spa – need I say more…
- Have a hot cup of tea – one of life’s simple pleasures, but one us mums often miss out on as we run around after everyone else.
- Arrange a night out with friends – get together and have a laugh. Laughter as they say is the best medicine.
- Get a hobby – pursue your hobbies and interests more. If that’s gardening then get out and go to it, if its crochet then go ahead pull up your comfy chair and break out the wool, why not tackle that new pattern and really lose yourself for a couple of hours.
What ever you choose to do just make sure that you love it.
About The Author
Laura Bland is a mum of one based in the East Midlands UK. She is passionate about supporting other businesswomen and helping them to connect with their audience using the power of words. A lifelong love of reading and writing has eventually led Laura to set up Laura B Empowered Words where she offers multiple different writing and book publishing services. With 10 books published ranging from true life stories to fiction to wellness journals, Laura is adept at changing her writing style to suit different audiences.
You can contact Laura via any of the following:
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