Perhaps you’re one of those people who pride themselves on their good health, fitness and emotional wellness. That means you’re one of the lucky ones – you make the right lifestyle choices, eat and exercise, and make sure you get enough sleep. But this is not the same for everyone.
The pandemic taught human beings a valuable lesson, albeit at a high cost – the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own health and wellness. See the Rest and Digest website for more information on health, wellbeing, relaxation and self care.
This is where the concept of self care comes in, and today, we have all learned to invest time, money and effort in our own wellness and care.
Can Self Care Save Your Life?
Self care means being proactive and taking the initiative in choosing activities and ways of life that prioritize your individual emotional and physical health.
Boost your physical health: Self care points you in the right direction of caring for your body. This doesn’t mean that you become obsessed with gymming or you burn yourself out with a punishing exercise routine. Instead, you can choose a form of exercise that is in sync with your personality, age and convenience and ensure that you are consistent with it. Choosing nutritious, natural food and drink goes a long way in keeping your digestive system, heart, bones, skin and hair. Again, the occasional indulgence in a sugary treat or high calorie pizza will not harm you, but you need to be aware whether you’re eating for comfort or other emotional issues.
Emotional and Mental Wellness: Long hours without rest, feeling stressed, isolated and fearful are common reactions to a relentless work schedule. Apart from causing physical problems such as stroke or heart conditions, diabetes, arthritis, low immunity and high blood pressure, being in a constant state of fight or flight causes irreversible damage to many systems in your body and mind. Become self aware, and understand what triggers your fight or flight reactions, and learn how to activate the rest and digest counter response.
What Gives You Peace and Joy: All of us have certain places, activities and ideas that provide us with immense inner fulfillment. When you think about this in the context of self care, we are not talking about momentary or temporary happiness, such as the happiness you get from eating an ice-cream, the thrill of a hot air balloon ride, bubble baths or watching your favorite movie. There is no doubt that these are joyful, but they are different from the long term happiness that you can get from a mindful experience. Invest more time in activities that reduce your stress and increase your creativity and intellect. A good example is hobbies such as music, art, gardening, reading or joining a poetry club or trekkers’ club.
Practice Kindness and Gratitude: When you put the needs of someone else above your own, you are being kind. This reduces negative emotions such as jealousy, envy, resentment and malice. It means that you are consciously present in the moment and are able to absorb the full impact of what happens. Practicing kindness helps you to feel less lonely and stressed, it keeps you connected with people and boosts your own sense of self worth and empathy. It helps you to create a better atmosphere and ecosystem around you so that your environment remains stress free and positive. Gratitude has been shown to give peace and contentment, and releases the “good hormones” that promote stress relief and harmony. You can drastically reduce anxiety and tension by simply switching your perspective to one that is more grateful and positive.
How To Incorporate Self Care Resources Into Your Life
Connect with Nature: Experts opine that there is nothing like nature to engage all your senses. Walking in a park, sitting on a beach, strolling through a forest or just sitting at an open window to watch the sunrise can elevate your spirits. This should be different from walking or running for exercise, where you’re focused on speed or distance. When you want to connect with nature let that be the only activity you focus on.
Journaling: Find emotional relief and release in penning down your deepest thoughts. This catharsis eliminates the toxic waste that accumulates in the mind after a negative experience. Journaling also helps you to get a more objective view of events.
Set self care goals: Reflect on what changes you wish to make in life to enhance your wellness and convert them into specific goals. Be realistic, calibrate the steps, and ensure that you set aside enough Me time to achieve your goals.
De-Stressing Is The Best Form Of Self Care
De-clutter your home or work area and get more organized so that you don’t have to deal with chaos and a mess.
Build meditation, yoga or tai chi into your regular routine at least three times a week. Create a quiet zone in your home or office where you can get a few minutes of peace to unwind.
Disconnect from social media and digital devices for a fixed period during the day, and never carry your phone or tablet to bed with you.
Ensure that you get adequate sleep and eat regular meals on time. Select healthy, natural food and drink options and snack on fresh fruit and veg.
Journaling, meeting friends and family, cuddling a pet, scheduling adequate Me time, learning to say no, setting boundaries, practicing gratitude and kindness help to release the good hormones to combat stress.
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