The Importance of Self-Care:

In our daily lives, we can have so many tasks/responsibilities to take on, we sometimes forget to tend to our personal needs. Life can sure be hectic at times. It can leave you feeling drained by physical and emotional debility. We're more buoyant and more able to handle life's stress when we're physically and emotionally feeling our best.

Make time to have a self-care day for yourself. A simple massage, soak in the tub or other forms of pampering enliven you inside and out. You can take a trip to the gym and relieve some stress, you could read a good book, and binge watch your favorite series on Netflix, with some of your favorite snacks. Maintaining a self-care ritual can benefit you in numerous ways. It affects your physical health, emotional health, it gives you a healthy mind, and overall, it can benefit your mental health. I'm still working towards achieving my self-care ritual, and here are some ways how a self-care ritual will benefit you.

The Importance of Self-Care:

It's necessary that you make time for yourself, with all of the hustle and bustle that takes place during the week. Maintaining a daily self-care ritual is good for your mind, body, and soul. It's good to have a daily self-care ritual, and not just only when you feel sick. Learning how to eat right, reduce stress, exercise on a regular basis, and take time out when you need to, are all forms of self-care. Neglecting your own needs and forgetting to nurture yourself can have some tough consequences. You're at risk for deeper levels of unhappiness, low self-esteem, and feelings of resentment. When you spend the majority of your time taking care of others and forgetting about your own needs, you could leave yourself burnt out. That's why it's vital to take time to care for yourself on a regular basis.

There are numerous ways on how you can make self-care your main focus. Making time to get enough sleep, exercising, prioritizing healthy meals, ensuring a balance of leisure time (whenever you have free time), and making time for friends and loved ones. Self-care can relieve you of stress, give you some alone time, and relax you mind, body, and soul. A self-care ritual can benefit your physical health. A healthy diet and exercising can improve your overall health. According to Elizabeth Scott, "The relaxation from exercising can improve your overall health. The relaxation from exercising and a healthy diet can trigger the relaxation response, which can prevent chronic stress, from damaging your health, so in a sense, self-care is good for you inside and out."

Taking a break will give you less stress, putting on a face mask, taking a warm bubble bath, lighting some candles, and listening to your favorite playlist can feel like you're escaping a stressful reality. As mentioned before, it can trigger the relaxation response, and allow you to feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Everyone definitely needs some alone time. Some people are introverts and some people are extroverts, but we all need some alone time to in order to function properly. Relaxing by yourself is easier, you can meditate quietly & peacefully, and have some self-reflection.

You and your needs are very important, taking time out to care for yourself is essential, and it can remind others that your needs are important too. Taking care of your body will make you feel good about yourself and your life. It also shows others that you value yourself.  Overall, this sense of inner well-being can influence your health and the way you perceive yourself.


Self Care Ritual:

Listed below, are some helpful tips to get you started with your own self-care ritual, and I'm going to start applying these ideas to my own life as well.

1. Exercise

Practice self-care, by getting a gym membership or working out in the comfort of your home. In the morning, you can start your day off by meditating & exercising or you could meditate & exercise whenever you have free time during your day. Making time to be fit, exercise, and get your mind right with meditating will relieve you of stress and keep you grounded. This is one of the main self-care trips that I'm trying to implement into my own life. I want to get fit and I want to give myself a peace of mind through meditating.

2. Eat Right
A balanced diet is important, your body needs the proper nutrition to work effectively. Without good nutrition, you're putting your body at risks to diseases, infections, fatigue, and mediocre performance. Eating is a form of self-care, and what we eat can influence our mood. Making sure you eat at least 3 meals a day is important, and what and how you eat can play a huge role in how you live your daily life.

Going hours without eating can effect the way your body functions. Your brain can't function properly, you feel fatigue,  have low energy levels, and you can experience headaches. Food is what gives your cells the energy to work efficiently.  Cut back on the junk food and fast food, and substitute them with fruits and vegetables. Make sure you're getting the balanced amounts carbohydrates, proteins, and fats throughout the day to help nourish your cells with what they need to help you perform. When you're eating healthy and eating 3 balanced meals a day, you will notice the good mood you're in throughout the day.

3. Don't Ditch Your Therapist
The last thing you want to do is abandon your therapist, I know some days you may feel like you don't have the drive to do anything, but it's okay, productivity comes and goes. Whenever you're having a bad day, I recommend that you take care of yourself by going to therapy, it can help you when you feel like you're stuck in a rut.

4. Schedule to Take Days Off

 Look on your calendar, and schedule to take some days off for your mental health. Regularly giving  yourself space to just relax is worth it, and you won't feel so overwhelmed.

5. Get Enough Sleep

Now I know we all can struggle with getting enough sleep, I'm a night owl, so by the morning I'm exhausted. But I've been getting better at regulating my sleep schedule. To get a good night's rest, eight hours of sleep every night is ideal.

6. Use Positive Language and Self-Talk

The way you speak to yourself matters, and it also reflects how you think about yourself. Positive self-affirmations are always beneficial. Wake up in the morning with a positive mindset. Say to yourself, "I'm beautiful, I'm deserving, I'm intelligent, and I can do anything that I put my mind to"; avoid any negative language.

7. Reward Yourself
It's nice to reward yourself every once in a while, especially after you accomplished something great in your life. I personally like to reward myself through retail therapy or take a nice hot bubble bath. But you can do whatever your heart desires. Treat yourself to dinner, buy your favorite bottle of wine, or just stay home, eat your favorite snacks, and read your favorite book or binge watch your favorite Netflix series. You can also schedule a day to hang out with your family or friends; make it a game night or go to the movies. Spending time with your loved ones will make you feel a lot better, especially when you feel like you've been missing out on that quality time with them.

Remember that your self-care should always come first, no matter how hard your life may seem at the moment, always make time to take care of yourself. It's good for your physical health, emotional health, and mental health. You deserve a self-care day, you owe it to yourself.

Sources:

https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729

https://www.feedyourspark.net/blog/how-eating-is-a-form-of-self-care