The importance of self-care

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care is, as the term implies, the act of taking care of yourself. It is doing what you need to do to feel your absolute best – mentally, physically, and emotionally. Each individual has their own self-care needs and practices. This can be anything from quitting your exhausting job, to getting your hair done, taking a relaxing bath or ensuring you have time to read each evening before bed.

Taking care of yourself should never be overlooked, and there are so many benefits that come from a regular self-care routine.

Here are a few of the amazing benefits you can experience over time:

• Increased Positivity – Adding these activities to your schedule will give you something to look forward to. Now you will no longer be thinking about how bad your day is and only be looking forward to reading that book in total silence or getting your nails done after work.
• Increased Self-Confidence – Your needs are now a top priority and that is a good thing. Self-confidence will naturally increase because you are simply doing the things that make you feel good.
  Improved Immunity – Self-care allows you to give your body a break from stress, anxiety and emotional trauma which increases your immunity. Stress and depression can overload your mind and body which is crucial to reduce as much as possible.
• Better Relationships – The more your needs are met the better your relationships will be with other people. When you are feeling down about yourself and don’t feel important chances are that’s what you are putting onto others.
• Higher Productivity – All the benefits that have been stated above help with increased productivity at work and at home. Less stress, higher immunity, and higher self-confidence all help to boost productivity.

To really understand your own self-care needs, you need to understand yourself first.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What are the things I need to do to feel complete?
• What activities help me relieve stress?
• Is there anything I can eliminate from my daily schedule?
• Is there anything that is preventing me from practicing regular self-care?
• Am I happy with my exercise routine?
• Am I eating healthy?

Where should you put your focus?

The way you answer these questions determines your self-care needs and where you should put your focus. Consider the right frequency for the items on your list. Some items might work as monthly activities, some weekly, and some daily. For example, meal planning could be weekly, but making time to read a book might be a daily routine. A bubble bath or home facial might be something you do once a week. If it seems overwhelming to start a ton of new things at once, try adding just one new thing a week. If that seems like too many, try adding one item from your list and doing it consistently for one month.

It’s all about you

Remember, self-care is all about you as an individual. So, what you need to do to take care of yourself won’t be the same as your spouse, friends, and family. If your activity will mean a change of routine for others, talk to them about it and why it’s important for you. Ask them what their self-care routine might be, and maybe you can come to an agreement to make sure everyone’s self-care needs are possible. If you implement your new self-care routine and make it a regular part of your life, you will notice a significant change in your health and overall well-being!