Self-care involves taking better care of yourself, which is essential for mental and physical purposes. It can really make a positive impact on your life, from helping you to become closer to friends and family, to relieving your stress. Here are some of the top benefits of self-care.
IT HELPS TO RELIEVE STRESS
If you are like most people, you probably deal with a lot of stress. This can be stress from your job, financial situations, relationships, or other personal reasons. Self-care is important for stress relief because it provides activities that help distract you, improve your mood, and help you take better care of yourself. Keep in mind that self-care can be anything from taking a bath to going for a walk, so there are tons of options available.
YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
In addition to relieving your stress, self-care can also help in other aspects of your mental health. Perhaps you have anxiety or depression and are trying to relax while also figuring out your triggers. Well, things like writing in a journal and walking help you accomplish both. You are able to focus more on your mental health during these activities, so you are practicing self-care while actually improving your mental health at the same time.
IT RAISES YOUR SELF ESTEEM
Did you know taking better care of yourself can help with your self-esteem? Lack of proper self-care often causes you to feel bad about yourself, such as from not getting a manicure or pedicure in a while, or not exercising. These types of activities make you feel healthy, fit, and beautiful, which goes a long way with self-care. With higher self-esteem, you raise your confidence, and that can help boost your mood and help with your stress levels.
YOU DESERVE SOME QUALITY TIME
Don’t underestimate the power of having quality time to yourself. There are so many ways to do this, whether you allow yourself some time to meditate in the morning, get up early to have your cup of coffee alone, or have dance parties in the living room with your family. This quality time gives you a short break from your daily life and can be so wonderful for your self-care.
Try to give yourself at least a few minutes a day for self-care. It will help your stress and other areas of mental health. I personally take time to destress in the morning before my daughter wakes up and at night when she has gone to bed. I also try to practice mindfulness during the day and this helps to enhance my self-care practice throughout the day without trying to fit it into my schedule. I may focus on cooking a healthy meal while listening to conscious reggae or lofi type music. In this regard, I am nourishing my body as well as my mind and spirit. I also take up extra activities such as painting or using an adult coloring book. Now ask me to draw or paint something I am a complete wreck, I can't even draw a stickman properly lol, but I've always wanted to experiment with painting so I bought a paint by numbers kit for adults on Amazon. There are many benefits to mindfulness. What I'm saying is you have to take the time to think about what self-care means to you and what you are going to do about it.
SIMPLE EVERY DAY WAYS TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Self-care is vitally important not just for stress relief but also for overall mental health. It can do everything from help after a bad day to improve your self-confidence. It also doesn’t take a lot to take proper care of yourself. Here are some different ways to practice self-care every day.
KEEP A JOURNAL
A really excellent way to start practicing self-care every day is to keep a journal. This is something you can easily keep with you no matter where you are, whether you put it in your purse or briefcase, or you have a digital journal on your computer. It is good to have something to write in even when your laptop is out of charge, so a journal and pen are highly recommended. With journaling, you are able to write in it whenever you feel stressed or just to talk about your day. It can be very cathartic for you. There are many ways to journal and I encourage you to read this blog post on How to Journal for Happiness and Success.
HAVE ALONE TIME EVERY DAY
Make sure you have at least a few minutes each day all to yourself. This can be a 30-minute walk that you go on after dinner, a fun 15-minute dance party all alone in your room before bed, or just 5 minutes in the morning before everyone else gets up while you enjoy your cup of coffee. It can seem so simple and minimal, but these little stretches of time where you are alone and just doing something for yourself can make all the difference. But take the time to have the coffee or tea though, enjoy the steam on your face, the aroma and taste of your hot beverage. For a double whammy, take this time to express gratitude for the little and big successes in your life or say a silent prayer, setting the intention for your day.
GET MORE MOVEMENT
Sometimes helping your physical health is also important, so don’t forget about movement and exercise. This will make you feel better about yourself and raise your self-confidence, which also helps your mental state. Plus, exercise is really good for helping to relieve your stress and the endorphins you get from it can be tremendous for improving your move. You don’t need to go to the gym for an hour every day either. Something as simple as an afternoon walk or doing weight lifting or a 5 min skip in the morning before your shower is perfect. You can also take advantage of other activities that also include exercise, like taking your dogs for longer walks or taking the kids hiking over the weekend so everybody is exercising more.
In addition to exercise, you should also be focusing on a proper diet by drinking more water and eating healthier. This is part of taking better care of yourself.
SELF CARE ACTIVITIES TO TRY
If you are looking to improve your self-care, there are quite a few activities you can participate in. While the list of options are endless, here are some recommended activities to get you started with proper self-care.
TRY SENSORY ACTIVITIES
When you are working on self-care for stress relief, one thing to note is that sensory activities can have a really beneficial effect. You should try to find activities that use different senses, like touch, smell, taste, or sight. Perhaps you want to have a bonfire at the beach, which is going to use multiple senses. You can smell the fire and the saltwater in the ocean, see the flames, feel the warmth and the wind from the ocean, and possibly even taste salt in the air. Try to find activities that really awaken your senses.
EXERCISE ON A REGULAR BASIS
Exercising regularly is good for your body and your mind and can do wonders for stress. If you have a lot of mental stress, you can improve your mood and feel happier by releasing endorphins. You can choose a type of workout that helps you take better care of your physical and mental health, whether you relax during yoga, have fun while dancing, or get some quiet time by going for a walk or hike. Think of exercises you enjoy doing, but that will also give you that time alone that you really need. Sometimes when I don't feel motivated to get sweaty because I may feel stressed, tired or my body feels achy, I go to my favorite Yoga YouTuber Sarah Beth Yoga and do a 30 min stretch sequence. This makes me feel well and alive again, and I often sleep like a baby.
DO CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
Another way to practice self-care is to find creative activities that are artistic or a hobby that you enjoy. If you used to love drawing or painting, why not try it now? Just because you’re older and have other responsibilities, doesn’t mean you have to let go of your favorite things to do. Bring a sketchbook with you to work and draw something during your lunch break. Or you can get adult coloring books and some colored pencils and bring them anywhere, like the train or the bus.
You can also try different types of crafts you enjoy doing, like making wreaths for the family as holiday gifts or doing some baking. Try to find ways to release your inner creative energy, no matter what that entails. You will feel better by doing something you love, plus you get some quality time that helps to relieve stress at the same time. This is really hard to beat.
So here you have it. Now there is no excuse why you can't implement self-care practices to destress in this busy world. Nothing good in life comes easy, you have to work for it and put systems and strategies in place to have success with all your goals.
Are you ready to make a big change in your life?
Let’s start right now.
I am so excited to help you crush your goals in all areas of your life.
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