If you are constantly feeling run-down, exhausted, and overwhelmed, it’s probably a sign you aren’t giving yourself enough self-care and love. Taking care of yourself means listening to your body and doing things that make it feel good. So many people perceive self-care as a selfish or a luxurious act. However, taking care of yourself is more than just taking a bubble bath or drinking a green juice.
Here you will learn what it truly means to take care of yourself and 5 different aspects of self-care.
Top Reasons Why You Might Not Practice Self-Care
1. You are too busy.
A lot of times people struggle to take good care of themselves because they are “too busy” or don’t have any time in the day.
I get it!
Life can get really busy and the last thing you want to do with the limited free-time is doing things that take more effort. Figuring out what your top priorities are will when it comes to self-care and taking care of yourself will only help this issue.
2. You focus on taking care of others too much
Another common factor that keeps people from investing time and effort into themselves is because they are focused too much on the people around them. They are taking care of other people instead of taking care of themselves.
Caring for others is how we, as humans, have survived. We depend on the care from other, especially at a young age. However, you should be caring for others to the extent of ruining your own well-being.
3. You think you can’t afford it
Many people think that self-care means going to messages, getting facials and spending huge amounts of money on relaxation and pampering. The more expensive, the better it is right? Wrong. Not when it comes to taking care of yourself.
You don’t need the softest pillows, the nicest skin-care products, expensive candles. In fact, selfcare isn’t just about relaxation and rejuvenation. It’s about so much more. Keep reading to learn the truly meaning of taking care of yourself.
True Meaning of Self-care
Real selfcare isn’t just about fruit juices, messages, and spa days.
Self-care about creating a lifestyle that is sustainable and healthy so you don’t need to regularly check out.
It means you can enjoy life and write your own story rather than constantly feeling overwhelmed and needing a break. Taking care of yourself applies to every aspect of your life. It’s about your relationship, health, happiness, job, and overall lifestyle.
Don’t get me wrong, bubble baths and messages are a great way to relax and release built up tension and stress. However, taking care of yourself means also doing things you initially don’t want to do because it promotes growth and adds value to your life.
Here are 5 important aspects of taking care of yourself and maintaining a happy and healthy life.
**Looking for more on wellness and selfcare? Start with this 10 Day Health and Happiness Wellness Series!
5 Aspects of Self-Care
There are so many different areas of your life so it only makes sense to have different aspects of self-care. Having an all-around healthy life isn’t hard as long as you are taking care of each part of your life. Here are 5 aspect of self-care that drastically affect your health and happiness.
1. Having good hygiene
Having good hygiene is the most basic and simplistic step of taking care of yourself. We learn this almost as soon as we start walking. It’s the things your mom might have nagged you about growing up.
Good hygiene includes:
- brushing your teeth twice a day
- showering regularly
- cutting your nails
- washing your hands with soap
Having good hygiene is essential for promoting good health and keeps you feeling good.
2. Creating & maintaining relationships
Something you may not realize plays into your health and self-care is your relationships.
Humans have an inherent desire to be close to people and build relationships. We are naturally very social creatures. Lacking close relationships and social experiences majorly affects our happiness and well-being.
That doesn’t mean we always crave being around other people and it also doesn’t mean we always need someone around. In fact, it is just as important to be comfortable being alone as it is to have healthy relationships.
But as life gets busy, it is important we are still making the effort to create and build relationships as it is no secret that it is essential to live a full-filled life.
How a relationship affects the brain:
An article by Sarah McKay, MSc, PhD, said, “A healthy social life naturally involves thinking, feeling, sensing, reasoning, and intuition. These mentally stimulating activities build up our reserve of healthy brain cells, and promote the formation of new connections, or synapses, between neurons.”
In addition, a study with over 300,000 people found that those with stronger connections and social lives have an increased chance of survival. Meaning they are more likely to live!
So, to sum it all up, creating those healthy relationships is a critical part of taking care of yourself.
3. Living healthy
There are so many reasons why people choose to live healthy lives; they are athletes, they want to be skinny, they have a health condition requiring that care, etc. However, if that doesn’t apply to you, one reason for living a healthy life is because it is essential in taking care of yourself.
It is important for your health!
You only get one body and learning how to keep that mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy will help you live a long, happy life.
Living a healthy life includes:
- having a morning routine
- regular exercise
- eating a balanced diet
- getting enough sleep
- drinking water
- reducing sitting and screen time
- getting the proper vitamins/nutrients
4. Getting fresh air
Busy schedules leave many people feeling stuck inside with little to no connection to the outside or nature.
Finding even a little bit of time to get outside and breathing in fresh air creates many benefits for your health and brain.
It’s no secret that we need oxygen to survive. Oxygen maintains healthy brain functions, growth and maintenance. It was even found that the brain uses about three times as much oxygen for healthy neuron function, as muscles do.
Therefore, getting to breathe in fresh air such as opening a window or going for a walk improves brain function as well improves concentration, increases vitamin D, and reduces stress.
5. Focusing on YOUR happiness
Taking care of YOURself means focusing on YOUR happiness. (I know, shocking.)
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring and life on this Earth is not guaranteed. Living your life going through the motions and being unhappy is not a way to live.
One of the best things you can do to take care of yourself is to do whatever makes you happy.
Start by adding simple little pleasures that make you happy each day!
This means doing small things that don’t require a lot of effort that put a smile on your face.
Then, ask yourself what will make you happier and what are the sacrifices you will have to make to achieve this.
Everybody has heard the saying “do what makes you happy” but not many people actually know how to do it. This comes from being honest with yourself about what you actually want, how much you are willing to sacrifice, and what path you are taking to get there.
Bottom Line: Take Control of Your Life
When you are young, there were people that toke care of you. They did all those things like made sure you have good hygiene, limited your screen time, enrolled you in sports, served you nutritious meals, etc.
Sometimes when we grow up, we still have to be reminded of these things. (And that’s okay!) However, it’s your job now to take care of yourself because nobody else is going to do it for you. You have to take control of your life.
Because you are reading this post right now, it is obvious that you care about your health and want to improve and grow as a person. Taking care of yourself gets easier because a lot of these things will become habits.
Creating healthy habits will only make you healthier, stronger, and more in control of your life. You got this!
“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”— Buddha
“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”— Anna Quindlen
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