Why You Should Prioritize Self-care

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When you hear the term “self-care” what’s your first thought?
Do you consider self-care as me-time or pampering? Perhaps a nice-to-have, but not really essential?

Do you think that its something that you’ll get to eventually, after everything else on your to-do list is done?

Or maybe you wonder…

What exactly IS self-care?

Well, in its broadest sense self-care is about taking care of your physical and mental well being.

It’s about:

staying fit and healthy
being conscious of what depletes you and taking steps to replenish your mental and physical health
treating yourself as kindly as you'd treat others
In a nutshell, self-care is that the things we do to guard, maintain and improve our health and wellbeing.

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Why is self-care important?

Perhaps the entire idea of self-care seems a touch self-indulgent to you? does one feel a way of guilt about putting yourself first? About putting yourself before even (…gulp) your family?

However, the cold hard reality is:
if you’re not taking care of yourself, how are you getting to lookout of anyone else?

Think about the breathing device analogy. In aeroplanes, you’re told that if the breathing device drops you want to put your own mask on before helping anyone else. Because if you pass out, you’re not getting to be much use to anyone else. In fact, you’ll be a hindrance.

If you actually want to be there for others, you want to lookout of yourself first.

Logically, it makes such a lot sense!

What self-care isn't 

self-care isn't selfish, indulgent or vain
self-care is certainly not about ignoring the requirements of others.
Self-care doesn’t need to be time-consuming. many self-care activities take just minutes.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. There are many easy, simple activities you'll do.

It doesn’t need to be expensive. Self-care isn't about departure on weekend spa breaks or treating yourself to expensive makeup or clothes.

Benefits of self-care

Through consistently incorporating self-care into your life you’ll:
* Feel more calm, relaxed and usually less stressed
* Get to understand yourself better
* Build self-esteem and feel more confident – by taking the time to require care of yourself you're acknowledging to yourself, your family and therefore the world that you simply are important

How to practice self-care

The best way of taking care of our physical and psychological state is to eat nutritious food, get restorative sleep, exercise regularly and consistently do activities that cause you to feel good.

But which activities? One person’s favourite self-care activity is another person’s bore. And that’s fine. You don’t got to justify to anyone else why your favourite activity is vital to you.

Experiment, and determine what works for you.

Remember, self-care is all about finding what works FOR YOU. Not what works for your friend or what your friend or partner says you ought to do.

Think about:

* What activities cause you to feel relaxed and recharged?
* What activities cause you to feel happy or excited?
* Where’s your favourite place to hold out?
* Who are your favourite people to hold out with?

Knowing yourself is vital find the proper self-care activities for you. As an introvert, I didn’t understand why certain activities tired me out and made me feel more stressed, while an equivalent activities made my extrovert husband feel happy and recharged.

This book had such an enormous impact on my life! It changed the way I saw myself. I not felt like there was something wrong with me that I needed to repair . As soon as I’d finished it I handed it over to my husband with an invitation “please read this – you’ll understand me such a lot better”. He did, and it’s given him great insight, which has helped to strengthen our relationship.

I now have a far better insight into once I got to time interval alone, and once I got to be around others.

Practice self-care regularly

It’s important to form self-care a part of your routine. How? Firstly, keep it simple. Start slowly and purposefully. Schedule it. Make a commitment to yourself and add it to your diary or planner.

When deciding which activity to settle on , believe the top result. choose something which will cause you to feel you are feeling accomplished and rejuvenated.
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50+ Self-care Activities to undertake 

Get Active:
Moving your body will cause you to feel happier – your brain will release dopamine which can cause you to feel good! Not only that, getting active will energise you, build your confidence, and assist you sleep better.

* choose a walk
* Go running
* Practice some yoga
* Go hiking
* Lift weights
* Stretch
* Try a replacement class at the gym
* leave dancing (or just dance in your kitchen to the radio)
* Go swimming
* Do some gardening

Slow Down:
Take a while to let your body and mind recharge and get over the constant juggling, ticking off to-dos and general fast pace of life.

* Read a book
* Read a newspaper or magazine
* Watch a movie
* Watch an episode of your favourite TV series
* Have a nap
* Meditate
* Journal
* Write a letter or postcard to a lover
* Write a thank-you note
* attend bed early
* specialise in your breathing for 1 minute
* Soak within the bath
* Do a jigsaw
* Diffuse some essential oils
* Stop the constant scrolling and refreshing by turning off your phone (or put in during a drawer)

Get Social (In Real Life!)

Friendships are so important in protecting and maintaining psychological state . Not only are friends fun to be with, but they’ll also assist you see things in perspective and keep you grounded.

* Meet friends for coffee
* continue an evening out
* Join a club
* continue a picnic with friends or family
* Call a lover for a talk
* attend the films with friends
* Plan a date night (or date day) together with your partner

Get Creative

Tackling an ingenious project or activity has numerous benefits. stepping into a state of ‘flow’ where you're completely immersed in what you're doing will boost your productivity, creativity and happiness. And if you’re baking, you’ll even have cake!

* Knit
* Crochet
* Sew
* Cook your favourite dish, or try a replacement recipe
* Bake
* Sing
* Play music
* Colour
* Draw, paint or doodle

Get Organized

Excess clutter and disorganized spaces can cause you to feel anxious and overwhelmed. And clutter isn’t always just physical stuff. It’s also those nagging ‘should-dos’ or ‘need-to-remembers’ at the rear of your mind.

Tackle a corporation project (no matter how small) and feel accomplished and happier!

* Declutter a shelf, a drawer, or a cabinet
* Complete a nagging task on your to-do-list
* Update your planner or calendar
* Organize your photos into a photograph book (physical or digital)

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Get Planning

Having something to seem forward to will assist you feel positive about the longer term . brooding about your dreams (big and small), setting goals and dealing on action plans to realize them will assist you feel accomplished and satisfied.

* Write a bucket list – where does one want to travel , what does one want to ascertain
* Create a vision board – physical or digital
* Set some goals for subsequent year, what does one want to realize by this point next year?
* Plan your next vacation
* Enrol during a class for something you’ve always wanted to find out
* Write an inventory of books you would like to read
* Write an inventory of flicks you would like to ascertain
* Make that appointment you’ve been adjourning

Do any of those ideas inspire you? Are there any others you’d add?

Through practising regular self-care you’ll get to understand yourself better and as a result, you’ll be kinder to yourself. this is often an honest thing.

Give yourself permission to invite help if you would like it. If you've got any ongoing physical or emotional concerns do seek advice from knowledgeable practitioner.

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