We’ve all been there. An exhausting sick day, a busy work week, a stressful month. Personal and work-related stressors can inundate our lives and leave us feeling deflated. When that happens, our mental and physical health can suffer. How do we work on our own well-being to better prepare ourselves for life’s stressors? Self-care.
While the term has gained popularity in recent years across social media as an excuse to do anything from sipping wine to going shopping, at its basic-level, self-care means
taking care of your emotional and physical well-being by doing the things you love or things that are healthy for you (so maybe not eating an entire pizza in one sitting). Self-Care means putting your needs first and doing things for yourself that benefit you in the short-term, but also help your future self. Practicing self-care can help you live more fully.
“But where do I begin?” You might be thinking. We’ve got you covered. With these three ideas as a basic structure for your self-care, you can start implementing a proper self-care routine that fits your life best.
1. Move
This probably isn’t the first time you’re hearing that exercise benefits both physical and mental health. The benefits of exercise to your physical and mental well-being are seemingly endless, from feeling more energetic throughout the day to sleeping better at night. There’s a reason your doctor asks about your regular exercise activity at your annual check-up. But there’s no need to feel guilt or shame for not being as active as you should be. The best time to start? Now!
Moving doesn’t have to be something strenuous or aggressive either. It can be anything from taking a short walk or playing with your dog, to using a beginner’s yoga video to learn simple stretches. With all the time we spend at our desks in the workplace, it’s especially important that our bodies experience some kind of daily movement. So carve out the time and get moving.
2. Decompress
Do you know that feeling you get when you lean into a bathtub of hot water,
when you listen to music that soothes you, when you spend time reading a good book or lighting candles? That’s decompressing. You’re relieving the pressures of life and committing to relaxation instead.
Maybe relaxation isn’t something you’re familiar with amidst a hectic life. “How do I find the time?” But this part of self-care is essential for those of us who feel wound-up and frazzled or exhausted and depleted of energy. It’s essential for all of us to take time out of our days to simply relax. This can mean something different for each person and if you don’t know where to start, try dedicating just 15-20 minutes of your day to take a hot shower or bath, take a nap, meditate (there’s a lot of benefits to practicing meditation, check them out here), or spend time doing a hobby that you love– anything from playing an instrument or video game, to doing a puzzle.
3. Reflect
This is probably the most difficult step of self-care to do. Who really wants to spend time reflecting on themselves and their lives when they can be doing anything else? But this step can also be the most rewarding. By taking a step back a few days a week to simply reflect on your thoughts, your life’s stressors, and your current feelings, you gain self-knowledge that you never had before which can benefit you in the long-run.
The easiest way to reflect is by journaling. Writing out your emotions and how they make you feel as they come up, working out how to solve a problem in your life on paper, scribbling down your jumble of thoughts, can all give you some mental clarity, improve your self-awareness, and create more space to do things you love instead.
By taking the time to make self-care a priority, we make ourselves a priority in our own lives. No wonder everyone is talking about it!
It is important to remember however, that amidst the bath bubbles and yoga mats, our bodies and brains usually do a good job of alerting us when something is wrong. We just have to listen. It’s essential to recognize that it’s okay to reach out for help. There’s no need to self-care ourselves to death and rely solely on ourselves to heal physically or mentally. So don’t be afraid to reach out to physical or behavioral health professionals when needed. That’s what they’re there for after all.
How about pampering yourself with some wellness? Search our directory to find the best provider for you.
