With the busy-ness of day-to-day living, finding time for self-care can be a real challenge, can’t it? Particularly when there always seems something else needs to be done, another task or distraction that keeps us wired & busy, and unable to relax! However, unplugging from busy-ness and allowing yourself time to de-stress is vital for keeping you healthy and strong, physically, emotionally and mentally.
So… what is self-care and why should you care? Read on my friend to discover how self-care can help you create a more balanced approach to all aspects of your life, without beating yourself up for being selfish, (more about that later).
The Oxford English Dictionary says self-care is; “the practice of taking action to preserve, or improve one’s health.” So, self-care, in a nutshell, means that you take time to look after your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Of course, this will look & mean slightly different things for everyone. But the general idea is that you take the time to do things that nurture, de-stress & uplift you. That’s not selfish. It just makes good sense to do the things that uplift your mood & make you feel happy & light.
The good news is that including self-care into your daily life is easy and fun. But, first…
What are the Benefits of Self Care and why should you care? : )
1. Reduced stress and anxiety. Taking time for regular self-care has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety, and this has a positive impact on your wellbeing and minimizes your risk of burnout & illness.
2. Improved physical health. As well as offering mental health benefits, self-care can also reduce your risk of suffering from chronic stress building up in your body which over time could lead to serious illnesses, such as strokes, cancer, and heart attacks.
3. Improved concentration. Neglecting your own wellbeing and happiness can reduce your ability to focus on even mundane household tasks. With a regular self-care routine, you’ll find that your ability to focus is increased, which makes it easier for you to complete tasks, whether at work or at home.
So, now you can see the benefits of self-care, you’re probably thinking that you don’t have time with everything that you’ve got going on. Here’s the thing, it’s meant to be easy to include self-care into your life, and not be another thing that’s designed to wind you up to the point that you feel like screaming.
Adding small rituals to your daily routine will help you to cultivate self-care. Self-care will mean different things to each of us, but the idea is that you find things that help you switch off the stressors and come back to balance.
Here are some ideas to include in your day. Which ones will you try today to upgrade your self-care practice?
Six Easy Ways To Make Self-Care A Daily Practice
1. Set a reminder. You need to treat your self-care time as a priority & block off time for yourself. Take the time to add an alarm on your mobile or laptop to remind you throughout the day to just stop what you are doing for two minutes, and just breathe. Inhale & exhale to the count of four, longer if you can. Just don’t let yourself skip it.
2. Find what you like. Self-care doesn’t only mean bubble baths and candles. If that’s not your thing, it’s ok. It could be finding animal shapes in the passing clouds as you make your tea, or reading a trashy romance novel at lunchtime. It doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to find something that works for you.
3. Get comfortable with “no”. It can be easy to say “yes” to everything, either out of obligation, or FOMO. This leads to us being overwhelmed and exhausted. Get comfortable with saying “no” if something doesn’t appeal to you.
4. Get enough sleep. We all know that sleep is essential for our body, but we often miss the simplicity of getting enough rest and relaxation. If you struggle with fatigue, going to bed & getting up at the same time each day can help manage that.
5. Move your body. Even if you don’t feel like it, schedule time into your week to exercise, however that looks for you. The endorphins will help your body look and feel its best.
6. Eat properly. It sounds obvious, and you’ve heard the advice ( and ignore it when stressed)! But you need to fuel your body with goodness. Meal plan or prep in advance will help you pack in those fruits and veggies. You’ll feel fab and your body will love you for it.
Creating a self-care routine is easy and fun and can be done in as little as 10 minutes a day if you are really pressed for time. Looking after your own self-care needs to be your priority. You can only be your best self to others after you have taken care of your own needs first. As the saying goes…You can’t pour from an empty cup. In other words, if you’re exhausted & stressed out you’ll have no time or patience for others.
More importantly, you deserve to feel great & be happy. Focused attention will help you upgrade your self-care by managing your stress levels.
Until next time, here’s to your well-being : )
Tracey x
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