Self-Care Is Critical to Pro Cheer Success: Why and How to Do It
Have you ever wondered why the flight attendant on the plane tells you to put on your own oxygen mask first before trying to help others? Because if you try to help others without helping yourself first, you might not be able to do it anyway. Here, we realize how important self-care is.
An aspiring or current professional cheerleader like yourself should practice self-care. With so many things to do yet so little time, we think that self-care is selfish and unnecessary. Self-care benefits you in many ways:
- It makes you more resilient and capable of handling the demands of your personal life and professional cheerleading.
- It helps you feel good about yourself inside and out.
- It renews your energy so that you can give your best during rehearsals, performances, or whenever you show up to practice for the audition.
- It keeps you from getting sick.
What follows is a list of self-care strategies that work. Put one of these tips to the test:
1. Change your mindset.
Do you have a habit of complaining? If you often focus on what's wrong in pro cheer career, audition prep practice, or anything in your life for that matter, you will always feel stressed and won't be able to uncover your full potential. Catch yourself complaining. Change your inner thought dialogue.
2. Prioritize healthy nutrition.
We often think that self-care should require taking the day off from but the truth is, you can practice it in your daily routine. Why not start with the food you eat? After all, what we put into our mouths affects our brain. Choose foods that are low in sugar, packed with vitamins and minerals, and don't come in a package. Increase your intake of healthy fats.
3. Get a massage.
Adding massage to your list of self-care tips effectively relieves physical pain, stress, and anxiety. It's the perfect way to reward yourself after a busy week of school activities, work, and pro cheer rehearsals/audition prep. In fact, you can practice self-massage anytime you need and want it. Here are some ideas:
- If your eyes are tired, rub your hands together and cup one hand over each eye.
- After a heavy workout, use your fist to rub your muscles toward your heart.
- Using an essential oil, run your hands and fingers over your calf muscles to loosen them.
4. Praise yourself for doing something awesome.
When was the last time you praised yourself for a job well done? Praising yourself is the easiest way to boost your self-confidence. It may seem like self-confidence should come from the praises of your co-workers, cheer sisters, or family, but in reality, it should come from yourself. Whether you found a new way to solve a problem, completed a task with zero interruptions, or took on a challenge despite your anxieties, praise yourself.
5. Find a few minutes to reflect each morning.
At least once a day, spend a couple of minutes to reflect on your life. Reflection allows you to take a step back and recognize the accomplishments you've made so far in your career as a professional cheerleader or path to becoming one. It also inspires you to love and accept yourself, and live more intentionally.
Prioritizing self-care leads to success because it helps you to become more capable of reaching your pro cheer goals. Self-care gives you an edge because everything in your life improves -- your energy, stress levels, happiness, and more.
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