Self-care mavens have been espousing the benefits of unplugging and focusing on rejuvenating your mind and body for years. We have read so many stories about people who have lost their health and even their lives because they prioritized work above their own well-being. But it was the pandemic that finally brought it home for so many people that they were leading unhealthy lives.
Reinventing your approach to life and placing self-care on the same level of importance as your job and relationships can take some reordering and mental adjustments. But it is well worth the effort. Because self-care is not just the oils and unguents we rub on our body externally, it is also about what we eat and how we treat our minds.
Starting with the outside is smart, and it can help you recognize how you want your insides to feel. For instance, a trip to a reputable waxing salon can leave you feeling smooth and confident. You must do something that raises your mental confidence and self-esteem as well. Luckily, you can do many simple things to recharge your inner self and raise your esteem.
Make a List
Writing down a list of activities you must complete in a day is a great way to include the self-care items you must prioritize. It is also a way to get started on being more organized and better planning in general.
Ticking off items from a list is very gratifying, and wanting to feel that sense of accomplishment will motivate you to stick to the list. Include items such as “take a break,” “take a nap,” or even “close your eyes and do nothing.” These are a bit general but a good starting point for you to begin your journey towards understanding what is restful for you and what is now.
Write It Down
Buy yourself a very nice journal and a pretty pen and begin documenting all the lovely things happening in your life. Often, when the mental fog has been around us for so long, it can be hard for us to believe that we can feel better. Getting back to a state where we can feel hopeful about the future again needs active work.
A journal where you write down every compliment you receive and every moment you feel gratitude provides you with a tangible list of reasons you deserve to feel good. When the world is in such a sad state, compassionate people can feel guilty for enjoying things or feeling content.
But you must look after yourself to be able to look after others to your best ability. Reading this journal of gratitude and celebration may be what you need to allow yourself to feel contentment and joy without the negative effects of guilt.
Adjust Your Priorities
The way we prioritize things can often be a major factor in our stress levels. Due to the corporate culture of today’s businesses and the way we were trained in school, we may prioritize achievement above all else. It is no longer about taking pride in your knowledge or ability but about finishing many projects in a short amount of time.
This means that we look at the result rather than the journey of learning and growth that it brought us. We look at the grades rather than the knowledge the student has gathered. This needs to change to reduce the level of stress you are putting on yourself and your family.
Adjust your schedule to allow yourself more time to focus on your family and your personal hobbies. Consider moving your children to a school that focuses on what they learn rather than their grades. You will see a big difference in your quality of life and an even bigger change in your children’s stress levels.
Change It Up
While forming good habits and routines is a great way to reduce stress and streamline our lives, doing every activity the same way can also limit us. Identifying whether you are in a healthy routine or stuck in a rut can help you brainstorm new ways to approach different activities. This can help your cognition, as thinking outside the box is a great way to kick start your creativity and improve your thinking abilities.
Consider starting by taking a different route to work or taking a different mode of transport. Work on a project with a different person you normally would so that their differences can challenge you to work smarter. Try a new hobby or sport at least once a month with your family. The whole family can be involved in choosing the new activity. It will bring everyone closer and give your family common ground to connect and maintain relationships as your children grow older and become their own person.
Self-care does not have to be difficult. It does not require you to make a big change to your life either. It is mostly an adjustment to the way your think, to the way you approach the world.
Allow yourself to feel good, especially about prioritizing your well-being above your work, relationships, and obligations. Anyone who loves you would want you to be healthy in mind, body, and spirit. Businesses offer vacations as benefits because they know that people need a break. Your manager may imply that the department will fall apart without you, but a break will allow you to come back feeling better able to take on your responsibilities. Rest is what allows our mind to function at its highest capacity.
Take a break, get some rest, and when you return to your daily life, include some of the above ideas to help keep the pressure off and get the self-care on.
