How do you cope with the things that life throws your way?
You know what my answer is gonna be – self-care! 😊
This past year has been a hectic year for many all over the world. People have been coping with what’s been going on in many ways. One of those ways is by working on your self-care practices. Starting or maintaining a self-care practice can make a pivotal difference in your life. Both long term and day-to-day. The key to self-care is doing what you can when you can, as self-care helps you to manage your stress before your stress manages you.
This post is all about why self-care is important. First, I’ll talk about what self-care is, then I’ll talk about why it’s important and even give you some tips on how to increase the amount of self-care in your day.
What Is Self-Care?
There are many ways to look at self-care. For instance, the world health organization (WHO) defines self-care as:
While Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines self-care as:
I believe that self-care is both of those things and I also believe that it includes activities that you engage in for the purpose of intentionally caring for your mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual health and wellness.
When you engage in self-care, it helps you to be at your best so that you can work, interact with friends and family, and do all the things you need and want to do each day. Now of course, since it’s self-care it’ll look different for each person but some common self-care activities are listed below:
Getting a massage
Listening to calming music
Gratitude practice
Cutting down on screen time
Time with pets
Enjoying a cup of tea
Hobbies
Journaling
Spending Time In Nature
Meditation
Spirituality Practices
Laughter
Yoga
Walking
Taking a hot bath to relax
Sleeping in
Why Is Self-Care Important?
That’s a great question! I’m glad you asked.
Self-Care is important because it helps you both physically and mentally. For example, self-care is shown to reduce stress. Additionally, because most people find their self-care practices to be soothing, they feel that making time for self-care improves their own mental health. Many people also report greater levels of happiness in their daily lives when incorporating self-care.
Your physical health improves when you engage in self-care because it helps to relieve your stress. Stress is usually a byproduct of illness, disease, or disability. As more becomes known about the nature of stress, many health care professionals are helping their patients integrate more wellness into their lives. This leads to a more well-balanced life.
Self-Care Tips
Get enough sleep
Sleep is very important to helping your body relax and rejuvenate and many of us are sleep deprived.
Balance your commitments and priorities
It’s okay to say “NO!” You’re doing nobody a favor (including yourself) if you’re so overcommitted that it stresses you out.
Make a weekly schedule
Don’t forget to leave time for fun, but scheduling your most important tasks (such as selfcare 😉) gives you a fighting chance to get them accomplished.
Say no to optional tasks or events you don’t want to take on.
See #2 balance your commitments and priorities.
Stay on top of physical and mental health.
Mindful eating and becoming serious about your self-care will go a long way towards this goal.
Exercise
Move it or lose it!
Allow quality time for friends and family.
Spending time with those who have your back no matter what does great things for your mind, body and soul.
Self-care is not selfish; it’s vital to being a well healthy and balanced person. This lets you face whatever life throws at you without breaking your stride.
Let’s talk, how do you make room for self-care in your life? Let me know in the comments section.
Bubble Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash
Cassandra Martin-Himmons is a trainer, wellness coach and consultant who believes in empowering her clients and providing the tools that they need to make positive changes in their lives to manage their stress and increase their self-care. In her spare time, she enjoys papercrafting, volunteering and travel. Connect with her on Instagram or LinkedIn