What are Some Ways You Can Practice Self Care?
Happy September 1st! In light of September being National Self-Care Awareness Month (among many others), today’s blog is all about self-care--some tips and ideas and why it is so important (especially in the midst of this global pandemic).
Physical and mental health create the backbone of our lives. If we are healthy, both physically and mentally, we can go about our lives happily. If either of these are poor, it interrupts everything, making it nearly impossible to go about our daily lives. Self-care is a great way to take care of our mental health, and therefore, our physical health, since the two are so closely associated, despite common misconceptions.
But what is self-care exactly?
Self-care is everything we do to preserve and improve our health, usually emotional and mental. It’s the ways that we reduce the stress in our lives, if even only for a couple minutes a day. It’s the things that we do in between everything to make the rest of the day more tolerable.
Did you know that chronic stress can cause:
- Chest pain
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Sleep problems
- A drop in libido
- Depression
- Anxiety issues
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling overwhelmed all the time
This all can be prevented with a little bit of self-care daily. Self-care is commonly viewed as selfish or self-indulgent, but this way of thinking is detrimental to our mental health. It creates more stress, and simply makes us feel guilty. I think self-care is becoming more accepted, but there is still a slight stigma that we all need to work to eradicate. Try starting a self-care habit, and either make it your token “me time,” or involve one of your friends that also needs some self care.
Here are some great self-care tips to try:
- Practice good hygiene
- Go out with friends
- Do something to relax (yoga, meditation, get a massage, take a bath, walk in the woods)
- Do something you love every day (dance, cook, read, paint, garden, watch tv)
- Sleep
- Move at least 30 minutes a day, even if you can’t do a full fledged workout
- Maintain a nutritious, balanced diet
- Volunteer
- Work towards goals (orient them based on your strengths and solving problems, and something future driven, not past driven)
- Make new friends
- Take a new route to work
- Get a new plant (vegetable or flower -- nurturing something else has major therapeutic benefits)
- Be mindful of your posture - it can have a huge impact on your mental health
- Take a break from technology -- and work!
- Learn to say no! You’re not letting people down, you’re taking care of yourself
While self-care is helpful for your physical health as well as your mental health, it can’t heal past injuries. If you have any injuries, new or old, schedule an appointment online today!
https://alorecovery.com/self-care-ideas-and-tips-for-self-care-awareness-month/
https://mhanational.org/taking-good-care-yourself#care
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a24886599/self-care-routine-tips/
