How to Take Care of Yourself & Live Your Best Life
Taking care of yourself—physically, emotionally, and mentally—is essential for us to have a healthier and happier life. Self-care might be only seen as getting massages or indulging on your sweet tooth—but it’s definitely more than that. Here are ways you can take care of you:
Start with your body.
Your body is the foundation of everything, and taking care of it is the start of self-care.
Make sure that you’re getting enough sleep and that you do it at the same time everyday. Sleep is good for the boday and mind.
Eat a balanced diet and drink enough water.
Work out. Aside from burning calories and being beneficial for your physical health, working out releases endorphins in the brain, which is a hormone that helps reduce stress.
Take a break.
Taking a break from the stresses and pressures of life gives you time to breathe, regain motivation, and encourages productivity.
Take a break from your phone, computer or social media—you can answer emails or messages and look through your newsfeed later.
Learn how to say “no”. It’s okay to refuse if you don’t want to or are not able to do so. Biting off more than you can chew will only bring you extra stress and pressure.
Do relaxing activities. What activity relaxes you the most? Do you take a warm bath? Do you meditate? Do that to take off the stress of everyday life.
Make time for socialising.
Socialising outside of work can do wonders for you - you can have a view of different perspectives, talk about mutual interests, and just catch up on what’s happening on your friends' lives.
Have dinner or coffee with friends or family.
Reconnect with someone you haven’t had time to talk to in a while.
Join an online community of something you’re interested in.
Play board games and have fun!
Plan a trip with friends or family.
Unleash your creativity.
Having a creative outlet is beneficial to a person—doing art can lead to less anxiety and stress. Doing creative projects will not only be fun but also can be inspiring and fulfilling. Here are activities you can do:
DIY projects
Writing a poem
Adult colouring books
Painting
Baking
Drawing
Playing musical instruments
These practices can only help you if you’re doing it with consistency and properly. Here are some tips that can help you:
Always remember that self-care is a must. Taking care of yourself is a necessity. With that in mind, self-care will be natural and easy to do over time.
Do what helps you feel your best. Self-care is not a one-size-fits-all — what works for you may not work for the others. Because of that, identify what activities you’ll want to do and makes you feel good.
Write it down. Look at your calendar and devote time to self-care, no matter how short that time could be. Make sure that you stick to it until it becomes natural. If you’re short on time, you can increase the time for self-care each month by a few minutes—those minutes will make a big difference. You can also sneak it into little down times you have. Start where you are and with what you have, no matter how small it is.
A great support system is important. Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about you and support you with your endeavours. Cut off ties with people that only contribute to your stress and negativity in life.
Self-care is important for us to feel good about ourselves and have a more enjoyable life. How do you practice self-care? Let me know in the comments!