Self-care is extremely important. The world today can come with a whole host of stresses and many of us can struggle with how busy our lives are which can cause us to feel stressed and anxious. That is why we need to take time for ourselves. This article explains more about what self-care is and some top self-care tips.
What is self-care?
Self-care is a general term that involves regularly taking time to do things for yourself. Things that will make you feel good. Self-care is important to our mental health and overall emotional wellbeing. We often spend time working for other people or putting other people’s needs before our own, which is why it is key to look after ourselves as well. The term is extremely loose as it self care can involve a myriad of things. Whether it's spending a bit of time on your own to read a book, having a nice relaxing bath or booking yourself a holiday. By deliberately giving yourself time to prioritise yourself, you can end up feeling well rested, invigorated and feeling a lot better. Which benefits those around you too.
Top Self Care Tips:
Schedule time in
If you find it difficult to find time for self-care, make a conscious effort to schedule it in. The first of our self-care tips is to make time for yourself. This doesn’t have to be on a daily basis. Try starting with one time a week where you know it is specifically for self-care. It doesn’t have to be a long period of time either. It could be spending 30 minutes in the morning or before bed reading a book, 20 minutes to meditate or an hour to go and visit a friend for a cup of coffee or glass of wine.
Once you get into a routine, you can schedule more time once you decide which activities are your favourite when it comes to self-care. Once you have time scheduled, don’t let anything get in your way. Emergencies aside, you should let those close to you know that you have this time set aside for yourself and that you would appreciate it if you are not disturbed during this time.
Try Meditation
The main rule of self-care is that it can be any activity, as long as it brings you joy and makes you feel happy and relaxed. So meditation may not be for you, but until you try it, how do you know? This self-care tip focuses on taking a step back. A lot of people love meditation and find that it really helps them feel calm and help change their mindset. Meditation can help you clear your mind, as it makes you focus on the present. This can help those who are feeling particularly stressed and have a lot of thoughts whirring around in their head.
There are many proven benefits to meditation including reducing stress levels, regulating your mood and can even help you increase productivity.
You can meditate in silence or with peaceful music playing in the background. If you don’t know where to start, there are a lot of meditation practices on Youtube and there are also lots of dedicated apps, like Calm that have meditations tailored to different needs.
Get moving in ways you enjoy
Our third self-care tip is all about movement. We often get pressured to do a certain amount of exercise a week and whilst this is extremely important for our overall health, many people feel intimidated by the pressure on them to exercise. People also often struggle to find time to go to the gym. However, gyms are not essential. Yes, of course, you can head to the gym if this brings you joy, yet there are loads of other ways to stay active.
Whether it be a swim, going for a run, doing yoga, dancing around your house or simply going for a walk, however, you decide to move is great. The main thing is that you are moving in a way that makes you happy and not miserable. Exercise should be seen as fun and enjoyable, not something you despise and try and avoid at all costs. When you find something you like doing, you won't find it a chore. When your body feels healthy and strong, it has been proven to help improve your mood. Therefore, physical exercise is one of the best methods of self-care.
Learn to say no
This self-care tip can be challenging. This is a massive change for many people as many of us find it difficult to say no. Whether this is at work or in our personal lives. Whilst it can feel great saying yes and knowing you have lots of social events coming up, it can also be overwhelming and give us too much to do. Saying yes to too much can lead to you spreading yourself too thin which can leave you feeling exhausted, not enjoying yourself and not necessarily producing quality work. Downtime is necessary, so make sure you have downtime booked into your diary too for the best of both worlds.
Have fun
An important aspect of self-care is that you choose activities that you find fun. This could be a range of different things. From trying a new sport, going somewhere on holiday, starting a new arts & craft project or simply dancing around your house to your favourite song. One of the best self-care tips we can give is to enjoy the moment.
It is easy when we are feeling particularly stressed to forget to have fun which is why we need to focus on activities that bring us joy.
Try switching off from technology
Whilst watching our favourite programme is often something we choose to do as part of self-care, other technology like our computers or mobiles sometimes make us feel worse. We are often always connected to the internet and are always available to other people which can be a massive distraction. We can spend hours looking at our emails or scrolling through social media which can cause information overload which doesn’t actually make us feel great about ourselves. If this applies to you, try exercising this self-care tip by having some dedicated time where you step away from your computer and do not access your emails at all. You can also either switch your phone off or set apps such as Instagram or Facebook to only be able to be used a certain amount of time a day. Alternatively, you can delete the apps for a weekend and then reinstall them when you are ready to end your digital detox.
Drink more water and get enough sleep
These aren't just self-care tips, both are key pieces of health advice that we often get told but they can also be part of your self-care routine. Ensuring you stay hydrated can help you feel more productive and focused whilst also kick-starting your digestion system and being great for your skin as well as your overall health.
It is also important to get enough sleep. Whilst it is generally recommended to get 7-8 hours sleep, the amount you need changes from person to person. Understand how much sleep you feel you need each night to make you feel at your best. Once you know this time, create a bedtime routine to make sure you are asleep at the best time for you. Try and keep your bedtime steady for the most effective nights sleep. Also, ensure you give yourself time to unwind before you go to sleep. This may be spending 20 minutes before you go to sleep reading, or listening to a podcast or calming music.
Find time for your hobbies
You may have a hobby that you used to love doing but haven't found time to do it for ages. Is there a hobby you have always wanted to try but never got around to? Use your self-care time to do these hobbies. Whether it be baking, crafting, doing yoga or painting, these are some of the activities that can let your mind focus on a particular task that can help reduce stress and calm you down. If you’re not sure where to start, head online for hobby inspiration. There is something out there for everyone.
Embrace Nature
This self-care tip you can do anywhere! Being around nature has been proven to make people feel calmer, happier and have more productive days. So try and embrace nature wherever you can. If you live in the countryside, head outside for a long nature walk. If you are urban-based, head to your nearest local park or green space. Also, think about how you can incorporate nature into your own home. Purchase some house plants as they not only help oxygenate the room and help you feel better, they look lovely. If you are worried that you will not be able to look after house plants, go for peace lilies, spider plants or rubber plants to begin with as these are all easy to care for options.
A lot of happened to us all over the past few years, which is why self-care has never been so important. Having time to spend on self-care is not a selfish act. Doing so can benefit not just yourself but those around you. If you are feeling happier, more relaxed and positive, you can pass this mentality on to friends and family too. With the self-care tips we discussed in this article, you can improve both your emotional as well as physical health, so make sure you allow yourself the self-care time you deserve.
