We all know that taking care of ourselves is important. We need to eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. However, what we often don’t realize is how important it is to take care of our mental and emotional health as well. Just as our physical health needs regular care and attention, so does our mental health. That’s where self care comes in.
Self care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s often associated with activities like getting a massage or taking a bubble bath, self-care can be anything that brings you joy and helps you relax. It’s important to note that self care isn’t selfish – it’s actually essential for our wellbeing. When we take care of ourselves, we’re better able to take care of those around us.
Think of self care like gas for your car – if you want your car to run smoothly, you need to put the right kind of gas in it regularly. The same is true for our bodies and minds – if we want them to function at their best, we need to regularly take time for self care. Do you know someone who could really use some pamper time to practice self care? A self care kit could help.
Why Self Care is So Important
We live in a society that values productivity and achievement above all else. We’re constantly being bombarded with messages telling us that we need to do more, be more, and have more. As a result, many of us feel like we can never do enough or be good enough. We end up driving ourselves harder and harder without ever taking a break.
This isn’t sustainable or healthy. Eventually, everyone reaches a breaking point where they can no longer keep going at the same pace. When this happens, we often experience burnout – which is when we feel physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Burnout can lead to serious health problems like depression, anxiety, heart disease, and even obesity. That’s why it’s so very important to prevent burnout by regularly practicing self care.
Self care helps reduce stress and anxiety, improves our moods, boosts our energy levels, increases our productivity, and overall makes us happier and healthier people. In other words, self care isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. When we make time for self care on a regular basis, we’re able to show up as our best selves in all areas of our lives – at work, at home, with friends and family members, etc.
How to Practice Self Care
Although self care looks different for everyone depending on their needs and preferences, there are some basic tenets that all effective self care routines share. Here are a few tips on how you can start incorporating self care into your life:
1) Make time for yourself every day: Dedicate at least 30 minutes each day to doing something that makes you happy with no distractions. This could be reading your favorite book in peace, taking a relaxing bathtub soak, burning a scented candle to refresh your favorite space, writing in your journal, taking a nature walk, or anything else that brings you joy. You could even purchase a self care kit to jumpstart your self care mission.
2) Unplug from technology: One of the best ways to relax is by disconnecting from technology and disconnecting from the outside world. For 30 minutes each day, turn off your phone, computer, TV, etc. Spend time focusing on your own thoughts and feelings without outside distractions.
3) Eat healthy meals and exercise: Nourishing your body with wholesome foods and getting regular exercise are both integral components of self care. Eating healthy foods helps improve your mood, increase your energy levels, stabilize your weight, sleep better at night, etc. Exercise also has numerous benefits including reducing stress, improving brain function, strengthening bones & muscles, boosting immunity, etc. Making time for healthy meals and exercise both provide long - lasting benefits that will help you feel better both physically and mentally .
Overall, self care is essential for maintaining our physical and mental wellbeing. When we make time for self care on a regular basis, we're able reduce stress , improve our moods, increase energy levels & productivity, boost immunity & brain function... the list goes on!
Bottom line, don't wait until you're feeling burnt out or overwhelmed before incorporating self care into your life. Start practicing these simple tips today & see how much better you'll feel!