According to the World Health Organization, “self-care is the ability of any individual, family, and society to promote a healthy lifestyle, prevent diseases, maintain good health, and to cope with any disability and illness.” According to the above definition, self-care includes everything related to staying physically fit and healthy — including nutrition, hygiene, and seeking medical help whenever needed. Engaging oneself in a regular self-care routine can help an individual put their best foot forward in life. By regularly practicing and adopting self-care, the benefits are broad. The link to positive health such as increased productivity, improved immune system, reduced stress, and higher self-esteem.
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How Does One Engage In Self-Care?
There are many things and ways through which you can easily engage yourself in a self-care routine. There are many well-being quizzes online through which you can figure out self-care strategies helpful for you. You can start by reading about various self-care methods and strategies, hire a coach or a therapist who can advise you through this process, or you can also join a self-care program. No matter the approach you adopt, the sole purpose is to figure out which self-care method will work best for you, learn those strategies, and implement them in your everyday routine.
Proper Sleep
Sleep is necessary for you to function both physically and emotionally. Lack of sleep can cause many health issues. But major distractions like stress and anxiety can wreck your sleep cycle. What can you do to make sleeping a practical part of your daily self-care routine? Start by listing down your night-time schedule. Do you usually have your dinner just before your bedtime? If so, make sure you don’t consume sugar or caffeine, as these ingredients can keep you awake. Reducing stress and anxiety is also key to better sleep. If you are suffering from work-related stress, make sure you relax more while performing tasks and activities or thinking about calming yourself after a hectic day. You can even talk with your employer regarding lessening the workload. Lastly, make sure that your surroundings are free from distractions such as cell phones, video games, or television.
Eat Right
The food that we consume can either keep us healthy or contribute to unhealthy weight gain and diseases. Eating the correct type of food can prevent short-term inflammation or memory loss, which causes a long-term effect on our brain, and then on our whole body. Many practical and excellent self-care routine includes healthy food like broccoli, green leafy vegetables, nuts, blueberries, and fatty fish.
Exercise Regularly
As we all know, exercises and yoga are efficient and good for our body and mind, but are you fully aware of their benefits? Regular exercise can keep both us humans physically and mentally fit by reducing anxiety and stress, boosting our mood, and shedding extra weight. It might be hard for some individuals to go to the gym every day, so try and adopt another form of exercising like yoga, walking, swimming, and playing games like tennis or badminton. One of the most important things is to create a routine that works well for you.
Maintain A Gratitude Journal
It is very easy to lose positivity, especially when personal and work-related stress is at its height. In moments like that, try and write down all the things and people you are grateful for in your life. Look to find beauty and happiness in the small moments. Such as a work meeting gone well, a lovely evening with family and friends, or even just a simple sunset. Trying to find things to be happy throughout your day will help you have a more positive overall mindset.
The more and more you adapt gratitude in your daily routine, the more it becomes a part of your life.
Learn To Say No
Trying to say no can be a challenging task for some people. Many individuals feel obligated towards others and say yes when asked for their precious time and energy. However, feeling tired and stressed out and saying yes to your friends and family for performing few tasks can leave you completely burned out and irritated. It might take some practice, but once you start saying no to others and yes to yourself, you will start feeling more confident and have enough energy and time for your self-care routine.
Conclusion
Look for small ways through which you can incorporate self-care into your everyday life. Whether you want to go for a walk, take a hot shower, or even enjoy a movie with your friends or family, implementing self-care is imperative. It can even be difficult for some of us to spare some time, but self-care is crucial to move forward in your life.
