10 Important Self-Care Strategies

Self-care is important because it makes you feel fresh and your life worth living. We often ignore self-care being busy in our everyday work schedule. Our hectic schedule, stressful jobs, and technology have made life complex. We even feel guilty to spare time for ourselves because of our other priorities. Here are some Self-care strategies everyone should know about:

1. Healthy Eating Habits

The food we intake has to do two things with us, whether it makes us healthy or causes weight gain issues depending upon the type of food we are eating. The right type of diet will prevent you from inflammation and short-term memory loss. A balanced diet contains all the essential nutrients i.e. carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, etc. Examples of a healthy diet are green leafy vegetables, fatty fish, fruits, milk, dairy, grains, cereals, etc.

2. Adequate Sleep

Enough sleep of about 6-8 hours is extremely important for the physical and mental well-being of a person. Sleep affects you emotionally as well as physically. Adequate uninterrupted sleep reduces stress and makes you ready to face the challenges of the next day. People who overthink often have the habit of doing it when they intend to sleep. This causes a vicious cycle leading to sleep disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. It affects the daily routine activities of a person because when you do not have enough rest, you would not be able to perform any task accurately.

According to research, the time duration for sleep was about 9 hours in 1960 while it has been reduced to 7 hours in the current era. Moreover, deprivation of sleep causes ailments such as colds, lack of immunity, etc.

• Avoid drinking caffeine or having any sugary item before going to bed because it keeps you awake
• Find a comfortable place for sleeping that is free of any kind of disruptions such as Television, a window nearby, music, etc.
• You can also use dark-colored curtains so that light does not interrupt your peaceful sleep

3. Regular Workout

Working out daily makes you physically and mentally healthy. It not only help you lose weight and bring you in a shape but also boosts your mood reducing stress, anxiety. If your daily life routine is really hectic and you cannot spare enough time for the gym, you can also opt for exercises that can be performed at home or any nearby park such as walking, running, squats, push-ups, tennis, yoga, etc. You just have to create a schedule that works for you which is the first step of self-care and Adopt an Active Lifestyle.

4. Adopt a Healthy Hobby

Some people love doing things that make them happy. For example, collecting certain items, talking to a friend, watching movies, gardening, etc. Planting is a good hobby especially for the people who are interested in it. Plant trees, veggies, and fruits inside your garden. It will prove beneficial for the environment, mankind, and also for yourself.

A hobby a day, keeps the doldrums away.

Phyliss McGinley

5. Take Care of Your Gut

If your gut is happy, you are happy and vice versa because the type of food we intake affects the natural flora of the body i.e. the bacterias that reside inside your stomach and intestine. If the effects are positive, your body will feel that positivity and if they are negative, you will stay unhappy.

Following are the tips for gut self-care:

• Check for food intolerances
• Reduce your stress level
• Have enough sleep
• Stay hydrated
• Eat slowly
• Take a prebiotic or probiotic

6. Cry Your Heart Out

It is completely natural to feel sad or to be upset sometimes. You do not always have to be strong. Sometimes, it is good for mental health to cry when needed. Self-care is important but we do not understand the meaning of it. It is not necessary to always hide your emotions and pretend that you do not care about them. It may work for the time but it would make you feel helpless and weak over time when all the things will be piled up in your mind.

Do not cry in front of everyone but you can do it before your family member, a best friend, your partner, or only yourself.

People cry, not because they are weak. It’s because they have been strong for too long.

Johnny Depp

Moreover, here are some medical benefits associated with crying which are:

• Detoxifies the body
• Reduces pain
• Restores emotional balance
• Improves mood

Crying makes you release oxytocin and endorphins which are happy hormones. They make you calm and contended.

7. Say ‘NO’ When Needed

Some people are really bad at saying ‘no’ to others that often puts them in the worst conditions. They feel shy to reject someone’s request or offer. For example, people get ready to go for outing with friends even after a hectic day. They feel tired, want rest but go out because they cannot say no to them. Learn to say ‘no’ when there is a need for it as it is an important self-care strategy. Some helpful tips for saying ‘no’ are:

• Be direct
• Give simple response
• Spare time for yourself
• Take care of your comfort zone
• Don’t feel guilty while saying NO
• Be sincere to yourself

8. Create a Mantra

Another effective self-care tip is to create a mantra of yours. Write it down on a diary, page, notepad, etc. to read it whenever you feel stressed or panic. For example, if you are suffering from a disease and want to defeat it, say to yourself ” I am not a patient”. It will help you recover soon. Similarly, when stuck in a problem, say ”All is well” and it will come out well for sure.

What you think becomes a part of you. It is conveyed to every single cell of your body and the result is according to it. So, self-care involves thinking positively because it will ultimately be going to benefit you in any way.

9. Stay Organized

Staying organized is a part of self-care and is an important one. Have a planner/calendar and schedule your tasks according to it. Write all your responsibilities and important thing that you might forget on a notepad. Keep your things such as files, clothes, accessories in their proper place. Do not create a mess while doing a task thinking that you would sort it out later. Categorize things, daily tasks such as grocery list, bills, etc.

10. Other

Some other self-care strategies that can help you out include:

• Take a break
• Plan a trip
• Try something new
• Have a pet
• Cook at home for yourself
• Read books of your interest
• Keep your phone away for sometime
• Learn self-grooming techniques
• Laugh loudly
• Go for spa

Conclusion

We have forgotten ourselves because we are caught in our busy, never-ending life schedule. We do not have enough time to pay attention to ourselves. Taking care of our own self has become a challenge and we are unable to do it nicely. Mentioned above are some of the self-care tips that you can adopt. You do not have to do everything on daily basis but you can try one thing per day to take care of yourself.