While we are still in the middle of a dealing with Covid19, you should be very interested in taking better care of yourself. It is that important. But going in depth to take care of your mind, your body, and your soul, each day, is not something that you should only do if you get burnt out or sick. Making sure that you know how to eat well, how to reduce stress, and how to exercise regularly, are all important when it comes to looking after yourself. Being more resilient, healthier, and less stressed, will help in all aspects of your life, so why are we not all practicing self-care?
Why Do We Often Fail at Self-Care?
Being someone that can practice self-care regularly isn’t something that is easy. So many of us live busy lives, have jobs that stress us out, and live lives that are so consumed with things on screen that we simply don’t find the time to look after ourselves as we should. Not only that, many of us can also feel quite guilty about taking time out for ourselves, so it means that we don’t do it, and can’t justify doing so when we have other things going on. If this sounds like you, then here are some things that you can do to get yourself started with self-care.
The good news is that there are a number of things that we can do to engage in self-care. There will be some strategies or approaches that are going to work better for some people compared to others. You can also look into things like self-care programs, talk to a therapist or coach, or a trusted friend or family member who can support you. No matter who you look to approach this, the end goal is to know what strategies are going to work best for you, and then you need to learn how you can make it a regular thing in your life.
Ways to Get Started in Self-Care
Improve sleep
Sleep can have a massive impact on how you can feel and how emotional you are. When you don’t get enough sleep, then it can cause some health problems, and the stats are there to show that you are more likely to be obese or overweight too. When you feel stressed or distracted in other ways, then it can cause a lot of problems with your sleep. To start with, it can be a good idea to look at your routine each day. Are you having food quite close to going to bed? Are you drinking caffeine or having a lot of water before bed (which could keep you up at night). Caffeine and sugar are best to avoid, as they can keep you awake too.
Taking steps to reduce your stress is important too, though can be much easier said than done, of course. Work-related stress can keep you up, which is why it is important to write things down, rather than having them going round in your mind before you sleep. You could also talk to your employer if it is becoming a massive problem, as your workload may need to be reduced.
Take care of your gut
Believe it or not, the health of your gut has a big impact on your overall health. It can even impact well being and how much energy that you have. The food that you eat will normally play a part in how much bacteria lives in your stomach, which can result in some positive emotions, as well as some negative ones. When your gut isn’t happy, then the chances are that you won’t be either, and the other way around. So choose foods that are going to help your gut, such as fermented foods, and foods that are full of fiber.
If you are someone that suffers from allergies, then you may find that your gut can be unhappy, more often than not. That is why taking a supplement can help. The range that Pure Encapsulations could be a good choice, as they are hypoallergenic. Being research-based dietary supplements, they can be good for those with allergies, but still help you to get all of the vitamins and minerals that you need each day.
Exercise daily
It is stating the obvious to say that exercise is good for us. But even though we know this, how many of us don’t actually do anything about it? When we exercise daily it can help us physically, as well as mentally. It can go a long way to boosting your mood, as well as helping to reduce how stressed you feel, or how anxiou you feel, with the natural release of happy hormones. Not only that, you can feel fitter and stronger, as it can help you to maintain or to lose weight.
Going to a gym each day can be out of the question for many of us. That is why it is a good idea to look for alternatives. Getting out in the fresh air for a walk can work wonders, as well as other things that you enjoy lik tennis, dancing, or yoga, for instance. The most important thing to be doing is to create somewhat of a routine that is going to work for you, because you will be much more likely to stick at it.
Get outside
When you spend time outdoors, it can help you calm you, which can be great to help you to reduce stress, as well as to help you to lower your blood pressure. Being outdoors can also help you to be more mindful, as you have time and space to think, rather than your face attached to a screen. You can even feel more energised when you are outdoors, which is why it can be such a good thing for people who are particularly anxious, or even depressed or feeling burnt out. If you can, take your exercise outdoors, because then you will be getting the best of both worlds. After all of that, you are much more likely to sleep better too; aloof these aspects are connected, that’s for sure.
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