Taking care of yourself is an important personal wellness task to prioritize for the benefit of your body, mind and soul. Many people confuse practising self-care with things like bubble baths and massages, but it goes far beyond that. While it is important to relax and unwind, there is a myriad of ways to take care of yourself from the inside out and make it a better part of your daily routine, not just a rare once in a while occurrence.
Life is filled with different types of daily stress that can take a toll on your health if you don’t take regular moments to take care of yourself. If you practice these few self-care tips, you will start to see your mood and overall health improve. Kick back and be mindful of these great ways to practice self-care.
Eat Right
Eating a healthy diet is important when it comes to fueling your mind, body and spirit. While it’s perfectly fine to indulge in junk food on occasion and to get in your favourite sweet treats for dessert here and there, it is best to maintain a diet that includes a good mix of whole grains, protein, fruits and vegetables. Ensuring that you are eating more whole, clean foods than junk food is a simple way to practice self-care. Understand that you are nourishing your body with what you put into it, and take note of how organic, fresh foods make you feel versus sugary “empty calorie” indulgent foods. One thing you can try is considering enacting meatless Mondays in your home. This means every Monday you eat fully vegetarian, this will help you consume increasingly more vegetarian or vegan meals. There are many delicious meatless alternatives your entire family can enjoy. You might even find yourself opting for that over real meat on other days as well! After you start doing meatless Mondays you will see that we eat much more meat than we really need.
You should also try to cut down on your sugar intake and aim to skip the sugar on certain days. Once you start to watch for sugar in what you eat, you will see that it’s in everything! It sneaks into everyday food items like sauces and frozen meals, so pay attention! It’s not just cookies and candy-like you would think. Even cutting down on sweets one day a week can really benefit your health and wellbeing. Of course, no matter what is in your diet, you should also eat mindfully. This means to carefully chew your food so you can actually taste and savour it, focus only on eating rather than multi-tasking or eating while you walk. Pay attention to your body as well: eat until you feel satisfied instead of stuffed and overindulge.
Be Money Smart
Even if you haven’t been the wisest person when it comes to your finances, you can always improve in that area. There is a wide variety of financial podcasts you can listen to right on your smartphone or tablet. These broadcasts can help you to gain a better perspective on how to effectively manage your money, including by incorporating a budget into your regular routine. You should also learn different terminology for loans and familiarize yourself with the various types of loans available. Some of the more common ones are mortgage loans, auto loans, credit cards (not a loan, but a form of borrowing), and more. It’s also important to understand how people apply for loans in 2020. Some of the most common methods are applying for loans by phone and online, with in-person applications still prominent for larger borrowed amounts.
Keep a Journal
One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to keep a journal. Jotting down your daily thoughts, even for just a couple minutes a day can help you get perspective on your life and destress. Getting out your thoughts right there in the moment can be highly therapeutic and is a great way to spend your alone time. It can help you discover things about your person, sort through your emotions, and move beyond thoughts that have you feeling stuck. You might even find yourself smiling while reading your journal in the future and reminiscing on those occasions.
Incorporate Physical Fitness Into Your Daily Life
A regular physical fitness routine can also help you to stay healthy and able in multiple ways that will have a lasting effect. Regularly working out will help your body stay in great shape, positive endorphins will increase your good mood, and your mind will be clear and strong. While you don’t have to do anything too strenuous, you can do small exercises like freehand weightlifting with light weights, yoga poses or aerobic activities. Even a daily brisk walk will lift your spirits and keep your lungs and muscles agile.
You can even go outside and go for a nice, brisk walk or a jog in the park for half an hour to an hour, which will make you feel great, help you get vitamin D and allow you to see and enjoy being in the outdoors. Even a relatively minor physical fitness routine can help you to maintain a healthy weight, keep your blood pressure low and prevent depressed feelings. This should help ease your worry that you need a gym, or equipment, or an experienced skill level – anyone can incorporate physical fitness into their life, and you should start today!
K.I.S.S
No, this does not mean you need to go around planting lips on everyone, it means you should “keep it Simple Stupid”. Before you do anything in life why not take 5 minutes to stop and think if there is a better way of doing what you are currently doing. Are you exercising and then walking the dog? Why not do both at the same time! Is that moring commute getting you down? Why not take this time to do some breathing exercises or listen to some light music to keep your spirits up.
Sleep Well
This is not just about the amount of sleep you do or don’t get, but it is about the quality of that sleep! Ask yourself, how are you feeling both before going to bed and when you wake up. If you are not relaxed about either of those you should change things around until you do. And yes, there really is such a thing as too much sleep.
Take Care of Your Physical Health
Don’t keep putting off going to the doctors about that lump you have found, or that illness you are constantly suffering. Even if it means going to the doctor and them telling you there is nothing wrong with you it is better to know that not to and worry about the possibilities. Always remember that Google is a search engine, not a qualified doctor!
Keep Close To Friends and Family
There is nothing worse than life regrets about not saying “I love you!” to a family member or having an argument before they pass away as it will never be solved and your mind will not let it go easily. But staying close to loved ones and family doesn’t mean you have to cope with all the negativeness they throw your way, it just means you need to learn to forgive and not hold a grudge with anyone.
Look For The LOL’s
Laughing at something and anything at least once a day will not only make you feel better in the mind but also in the body! Maybe look for some funny cat videos or watch your favourite comedy films at least once a week. Just look for opportunities to laugh at anything and those moments are some of life’s precious.
Remember how to say “NO!”
In today’s modern world it is all too easy to say yes to anything and everything. ‘Yes, I will do that extra work’, or ‘Yes I will help you with that thing, even though I am busy myself. ‘ Just remember that it is OK to say NO to things if you are busy yourself or just want some downtime. Practising self-care is often about putting your before other people even if that means you will sometimes look a little selfish.
These are some of the best ways you can really focus on yourself and take better care of your body, mind and soul. Keep in mind that self-care goes beyond relaxation and taking care of your physical appearance. Truly caring for yourself starts with mending to your mental well being and pairing that with your physical wellness from actually moving your body to nourishing it from the inside out with what you put into it. This should be a good reminder that anyone can practice self-care, you don’t even need special equipment or expertise, and you don’t even need to leave your house to do it!