Dr. Nancy Iankowitz DNP, RN, FNP-BC

Regarding ‘Self-Care’ there are three aspects: mind, body, and spirit (3 min. read)

“Self-care” of the mind includes but is not limited to

• nourishing your own intellect by challenging yourself (i.e. learning new skills & games such as chess, crossword puzzles, Sudoku; recalling faces and names of actors while watching movies, etc.)
• staying active mentally (i.e. socially; keeping up on world events/ sports/ news) 
• staying present and strong intellectually so that your brain stays healthy (focusing on where you place keys, coffee mugs, etc.)

“Self-care” of the body includes exercising to maintain healthy lungs, heart, ligaments, muscles and tendons by stretching, doing cardiovascular work-outs, and maintaining appropriate body weight. 

It also includes 

• taking care of your skin – protecting it from overexposure to the sun 
• protecting your eyes by taking supplements, using lenses to protect from blue light
• protecting hearing by limiting exposure to loud sounds (or wearing ear muffs to protect the delicate bones in the inner ear)
• eating responsibly sourced and organic foods; avoiding GMOs and anything artificial, processed, modified etc.

“Self-care” of the spirit is about channeling joy, love, positive energy, and feeling gratitude for blessings you count every day. It is about making healthy promises to ourselves and those who matter to us, and keeping them.

It also includes but is not limited to reducing exposure to toxic energy. We do this by avoiding people who contaminate our space with gossip and/or who view life through a lens of negativity, selfishness, misery, and bitterness. 

If lucky enough to find “love” and a soulmate, self-care of the spirit also includes perpetual self-reflection, self-examination, and self-questioning with courage to honestly address missteps we discover. Here’s to healing along your sacred journey. ~Dr. Iankowitz