Every day, you find yourself facing various stressful activities, either from work or family and friends. On the days when you are not nervous or panicking about meeting up a deadline at work, you worry about catering to the needs of a family member. After performing all these activities, you face a sudden realisation; while you took care of things at work and home, you forgot to take care of an important person; yourself. Now, this is where self-care comes in.
What is self-care? Simply put, it's taking care of yourself. Self-care is when you make a deliberate effort into promoting your physical and emotional health. The importance of self-care in the life of a person cannot be overemphasized, because it's a time when you finally relax, pushing aside those worries.
Self-care opens room for self-discovery, which leads to achieving a more productive and positive lifestyle.
In this article, we listed ten ways you can take care of yourself.
Sleep
Sounds cliché, but true. Scientific studies have proven that getting enough sleep helps expand the lifespan of a person. An adult is expected to sleep for at least seven-nine hours a day. Sleep not only gives your body the rest it needs, but it also helps to re-energise the brain and adds that beautiful glow to your skin.
So, quit keeping late nights and depriving yourself of the golden opportunity to jump on a bed, close your eyes, and be transported to a beautiful dreamy world.
Read a book
Reading is fun. Through reading books and novels, you discover new facts and gain knowledge about things that would make your life easier. Reading also stimulates your brain, serves as a form of entertainment, and widens the scope of your imagination.
Time to grab that purse or wallet and head straight to a bookstore to get that amazing book you saw a friend's auntie's mother-in-law read.
Take a break from work
Few of you might agree with us that sometimes working a 9-5 job could get a little toxic. While we enjoy working and earning salaries, it's okay to take a break from it. This means try to go on a short and long-term leave, stop thinking about work at home, and don't overwork yourself.
Can we interest you in a dose of reality? The truth is if something was to happen to you right now, over fifty people will be available to take your place. So, walk up to your human resources personnel and submit that leave request letter.
Have a journal
Keeping a journal is important in your journey to self-care. Journals allow you to pour out your thoughts and feelings, write affirming and motivational notes to yourself, and allow you to create a roadmap to where you are headed in this maze called life. Therapists advise journal keeping because writing those problems helps you to confront them.
Balanced diet
Eating well should be like a five and six for everyone. The body needs food to survive, and not just any food but healthy food. Eating healthy should be your utmost priority because it provides the necessary nutrients needed for the proper growth and development of your body.
Walk to your freezer or secret stash, and throw away all that junk food. Remember a healthy meal equals a healthy life.
Go out
Staying at home every time might seem comfortable and nice, but it's not. Once in a while, exposing yourself to the beautiful green grass and atmosphere helps to soothe your soul. You don't need to go to a garden; you can go to a cinema or a party. Any conducive environment that isn't home is good enough.
Treat yourself to something nice
Don't wait till your birthday before you buy something nice for yourself. You deserve to treat yourself to a gift anytime you feel like it. For example, after finishing that project presentation, you can decide to buy that beautiful gown you saw online; think of it as a reward. Doing this helps you appreciate yourself and the effort that goes into what you do.
Connect with family and friends
In every human's life, having relationships with people is a must. Family and friends are needed, and you should surround yourself with them. Don't be too busy with work to forget about them. Create time and hang out with them. These are the people who will always be there for you through the challenges you might face.
Exercise
Exercise doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym; dancing and yoga are two forms of exercise. Exercise helps loosen up the body and build those muscles. Thanks to online media, there are different home exercise videos at your disposal.
Be yourself
Pretending never pays anyone. The ultimate secret to living a good life is just being yourself. With the rise of social media, we feel this constant need to shape ourselves into something we are not. There is only one You, and you are amazing. As long as you know who you are and appreciate yourself, you are one step into your self-care journey.
Simply put; STOP FAKING.
Self-care is intentional. So, you have to be deliberate about putting these ways into action. Hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I did writing it? Remember, sharing is legal.
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