I’m a fully grown woman and I’m not afraid to admit that I follow Taylor Swift on social media and like just about everything she posts. Taylor Swift is force of nature and even though she’s slightly (yeah, I’m going with “slightly” here. Just roll with it.) younger than I am, I regularly am inspired by her and learn from her. This week, she posted a moving little essay on Tumblr about her mom being diagnosed with cancer. If you haven’t read it, you can right here. In the post, she explains her mom’s situation, keeping most of the details private, and urges her fans to encourage their loved ones to go to the doctor. I love that she’s taking a personal tragedy and turning it into something inspiring and helpful for her fans. It got me thinking about how I want all of my loved ones to take better care of themselves, too. I also got to thinking about how the most important thing you can do to be a better girlfriend or wife is to take care of yourself. Here are five ways to get started taking better care of yourself.
Go to the doctor
Just like Taylor said, go to the doctor if you haven’t been in a while. I’m a huge believer in the annual physical, even if you’re feeling amazing. Just go, get the blood work done and start developing a relationship with you doctor. It’s important for your doctor to know you when you’re healthy and what your body’s like when it’s healthy. Having this relationship will be important if anything ever goes wrong, and so will those baseline healthy stats.
Take time just for you
I know, I know, I know. You’re busy. But, taking time to do you is important. And, like I said above, taking care of yourself is the best thing you can do for the people who love you. So, you’re actually doing it for them. Carve out a few minutes a day, or even a week, just for you. It might mean that those dishes sit in the sink until tomorrow. That’s not really a big deal in the scheme of things. But, making sure that you feel centered and are the best version of yourself you possibly can be is a huge deal. Prioritize accordingly.
Exercise
Your goal here isn’t to be one of those female bodybuilders…unless, of course, that is your goal. In which case, more power to you! For the rest of us, just exercise in a way that keeps you in touch with your body and feeling good about what your body is capable of. That could mean taking a dance class, checking out a YouTube yoga video or just taking a walk with your family after dinner. However you squeeze in physical activity works!
Meditate
This idea isn’t going to be popular with everybody, but just try it out. There are guided meditations online that make getting started easy. Or, if you want to ditch the spiritual elements of meditation, just try sitting silently with your eyes closed for five minutes a day. It’s a great thing to do right before bed or when you wake up.
Journal
Here’s another way to take care of yourself that seems like it might not be for you, but hear me out. Journaling doesn’t have to mean writing a lengthy diary entry every, single night. It can mean jotting one thing down a day or being more diligent about capturing important moments and posting them on Instagram. You could even open a private Twitter account and Tweet 140 characters a day that describe your thoughts, feelings or happenings. The point is to somehow document your life in a way that you can reflect back on in the future and learn from. You are your own best teacher, so make it easy for yourself to learn your lessons.
Take care of yourself because you have important people in your life who care about you. Being a better you will make you a better wife and girlfriend. I know it’s often hard to put yourself first, but you’re really doing it for the team!
