Self-Care Tips For a Happier, Healthier You
Self-care encompasses anything from physical activities, to eating a nutritious diet and practicing mental health and wellness practices – taking steps for yourself can make you happier, healthier, and more confident!
Your journey doesn’t need to be costly or time-consuming – here are a few ideas to get you going.
1. Take Time for Yourself
Self-care can be hard to come by in our busy lives, what with work, chores around the house, picking up kids from school and cooking meals all being priorities. Although you might initially feel guilty when taking time for yourself, remembering you deserve it is crucial.
Caretaking yourself doesn’t mean lavishing yourself with expensive activities; rather, it means prioritizing essentials like daily showering, eating nutritious food, getting enough restful sleep and regular movement. Planning ahead by creating a self-care routine and eliminating barriers that stand in the way enables you to ensure it remains a top priority in your life.
2. Get Active
Exercise can help both your physical and mental wellbeing. Exercise can reduce stress and anxiety levels, lower risks associated with heart disease and diabetes, boost self-esteem and even boost moods!
Prior to getting active, it is wise to consult a GP or healthcare professional for advice. They will be able to offer guidance regarding activities that are safe for you as well as ways to gradually increase activity over time.
There are various ways you can stay active, including walking, cycling, swimming and yoga. Many people enjoy exercise with others so consider joining a fitness class or finding an active buddy – this may help motivate you while keeping things enjoyable! To support you in becoming more active the Every Mind Matters team offers various tools, resources and tips.
3. Take a Break from the News
Although staying informed is important, too much news can be stressful and alter your perception of reality. Tuning out for a few days or weeks may help restore balance to your mind and body. Taking good care of yourself includes tuning out sometimes!
To do this, turn off or change channels when the news comes on. If someone in your home enjoys watching it, ask them to respect your break and not share any stories that might upset you.
Additionally, try looking for positive news stories instead of dwelling on negative events. There may be wonderful accounts of communities coming together or individuals performing heroic acts which you could find online or in local papers; you could also volunteer or donate money for disaster victims who require aid.
4. Listen to a Podcast
Podcast players are available for all devices, including desktop computers. Some players provide suggestions of featured, popular, trending or noteworthy podcasts; these could be classified as featured, popular, trending or new and noteworthy. Podcasts come in all kinds of styles and genres; from those highly produced sounding like they could be on radio broadcasts to conversations that feel more like listening in on friends chatting live; there are even fictional series with multiple episodes telling their tale.
Listening can help reduce stress and keep your brain sharp – plus the more often you listen, the greater the likelihood that it will remain part of your routine.
5. Do Something Nice for Yourself
People often associate self-care with extravagant gestures like taking an expensive bubble bath or purchasing new clothing, but even small acts that benefit yourself and are beneficial can count as self-care if they provide real benefits without harm.
Morgan Turner of the UW Neighborhood Ballard Clinic notes that daily chores like making your bed are an act of self-care as they allow you to start each day feeling accomplished and complete. Stretching during lunch break also can provide nourishment for both body and mind.
Discovering ways to treat yourself kindly may take some effort and trial-and-error, but it is an integral component of overall wellness. After all, no amount of work can come from an empty mug!
