Who does not want to be taken care of? Do you take care of yourself? What a silly question, right? Of course, all of us do! But did you encounter someone asking you about how you take good care of yourself? What was your answer then? No matter how hard we explain that we know self care is important, we still cannot miss the fact that we all have different means of taking care of our bodies. Answering ways on how we look after our overall health may be tricky, so let us give you some basic ways on how to better enforce self care and explain how these steps help you maintain and improve your well-being.
What is self care?
Simply put, self care is taking care of one’s self. There is no easier way to define it. Self-care habits are things that we do to ourselves, so we can maintain our physical, mental, emotional, and psychological health.
Why do people mess self-care habits up?
We think that because self-care is also self-explanatory, there is no way that you can misunderstand it. But no, most people still neglect self care. Why?
They think it is a selfish thing to do
People like mothers, in particular, tend to feel selfish when thinking about maintaining proper self-care habits. They believe that the welfare and health of their child and the whole family should come first. We can sometimes feel guilty about taking the time required to take care of ourselves. What we do not realize is that if we neglect our own needs, sooner or later, it is our own family who will suffer because of this. Come to think of it; how can you take care of others if you do not care for yourself?
We do not have enough time
Because money is everything in today’s world, most of us work our butts off just to have food on our plates each day. We start to think that 24 hours is not enough time for the day, and we set aside all the others in order to finish what we think is important – work. This mentality makes pampering, relaxation, travel, self-meditation, and all things that would boost self care seem luxurious and not a necessity.
Others are plain lazy
They do not see the importance of self care. They would rather do the familiar things they love than enforce new healthy habits that can make them feel and look better.
People think of it as a task
Just like what lazy people feel, some of us neglect following self-care routines because they seem too challenging to maintain. We think of these steps as an obligatory thing that we have to force ourselves into doing. We should think of these steps as a form of self-improvement.
Tips on how to start practicing good self-care habits
Start now
There is no better way to start taking better care of ourselves than to start now. Whatever unhealthy habits you have been doing, stop them now. If you can’t stop them abruptly, find ways to gradually take them out of your system. Read books and articles online about ideal self-care habits that could be applicable to your life, so you are well-aware of what you need to start doing. No matter how small or big that step is, what matters is you do something now!
Create a plan
List down what you have been typically doing for a day. Manage your schedule and find ways to insert healthy self-care steps along the way. Remove the things you have been doing that you think will not benefit you in the long run. Manage your time so you would not neglect the time for your family and others just so you can care for yourself. This way, you would not feel guilty for putting yourself first.
Consult your doctor
To make sure that your plan will work, talk to your family doctor who knows all your medical information. This way, he may tell you what you can and cannot do. He can also suggest alternatives to self care so that the things that you are not allowed to do can have an alternative that reaches the same goal, only safer.
Stick to your plan
Keep in mind that self care does not have an expiration date. This process is not a simple kind of diet or a treatment routine that has an end. Think of it as a lifelong plan that you have for yourself, and you have to do it to make sure that you really are going to lead a long and healthy life.
Basic self-care habits
Eat healthy
The food we eat has the potential to either keep us generally healthy or contribute to weight gain or diseases such as cardiovascular problems or diabetes. Eating the right foods can help prevent certain diseases and can up our immunity to keep us from infection. Make sure that what you are eating does not just taste good, but it also has plenty of good nutrients like vitamins and minerals that the body needs to function properly. Some of the most amazing self-care foods include fatty fish, lean meat, fruits, nuts, and green leafy veggies.
Be active
When eating healthy is the topic, the next tip just needs to have a good exercise. Of course, if you put something in your body, it converts into energy. Of course, you need to do something to use that energy, and it becomes a cycle. If you just eat without burning it off, you may develop obesity and muscle weakness. Daily exercise can help you both physically and mentally, boosting your mood, reducing stress and anxiety, and not to mention helping you shed the extra weight.
Stay away from vices
Time and time again, we will reiterate that smoking cessation is the best self-care method that you can do if you have been smoking, even if you started just last week. Studies show that a stick of cigarette makes you lose approximately 14 minutes of your life, so imagine if you finished a whole pack? Smoking would not do your body any good, and so neither would alcohol nor drug use. Stay away from these unhealthy substances, and you can be sure that you and your family will stay healthy for longer.
Take a break
A busy and stressful life can cause physical and mental problems, not just emotional and psychological ones. Taking a vacation to free your mind from all the hustle and bustle of city life can help you re-energize and refocus your outlook on life. Taking a break does not necessarily mean spending lots of dollars to enjoy a beautiful scenery out of town or abroad. Just a simple walk along the beach or a quiet park seriously makes a big difference in your perspective of life.
Sleep
Just like taking a break is important, sleeping is equally beneficial to your mental and physical health. It is when sleeping that the body fixes and restores our energy. It regenerates cells necessary for our whole body to function properly again, and skipping sleep or staying up late at night deprives your body the appropriate amount of time to rejuvenate. Make sure that you have at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep every day, so you can free your mind from all the stress that the rest of the day brought you.
Organize
Not just the things in your house and at work, but organize everything in your life! Your time, your space, your habits! This may be an ordeal in the beginning, but if you successfully put everything in order, the rest of your life will be a breeze. Quit stressing about the small stuff, and look at what benefits you will get in the end!
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