With everything that has happened in the last year, self-care has never been more important. Looking after yourself mentally and physically can seem like a chore sometimes, but it shouldn’t. In this article, we are going to try to help you to understand why self-care is so important, as well as telling you a few ways that you can begin to look after yourself. If you do not take care of yourself, you and the people around you will suffer. Life is worth living, and part of living a happy and healthy life is self-care. Here is why self-care is so important:
Your Physical and Mental Performance
If you are not taking care of yourself, you will not be able to function properly. What ‘functioning’ is to you depends entirely upon how you live your life. For example, if you are a very active person who spends a lot of time outdoors, a lack of self-care can leave you lethargic, fatigued, and unable to participate in sports or other activities. Conversely, if you are not active physically, but instead mentally, you might find yourself unable to concentrate on books, podcasts, or whatever it is that you spend your time doing. The way that you treat your body has a clear correlation with your mental and physical performance, and when you don’t look after yourself, you will perform poorly.
Physical Wellbeing
Taking care of yourself, at its core, supports physical wellbeing. You will notice that people who do not take very good care of themselves tend to have more health problems, less motivation, and a poor self-image. Looking after yourself, whether it is drinking more water, addressing mental health issues, or eating a healthier diet, will have a huge impact on your body and its wellness. Your body will not sustain itself without help, and if you want it to be healthy, then you need to take care of it; it is really that simple.
Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem
Self-care and self-confidence go together hand in hand. If you do not take care of your body, as we just mentioned previously, then it will begin to look worse for wear. When your body is wearing away, so too will your self-confidence and self-esteem. Our body is the primary way with which we think about ourselves; if we do not care for our body, then how could we possibly begin to care for our mental health? As you begin to take care of yourself, you will notice your mental health, self-confidence, and self-esteem will begin to drastically improve.
Our Needs, Physically and Mentally
When you begin to give your body the care that it needs, you will begin to learn what your personal needs are. Cultivating an awareness of your body’s physical, mental, and even spiritual needs can have a tremendous benefit on your life. You build a house one brick at a time, and your body is no different. With every brick comes an understanding of where the next brick is to go and how to proceed with the rest of the project. Self-care can reveal a lot you may not have known about yourself, and it can help you to know what it is that you need.
Resilience and Perseverance
As you begin taking care of yourself, you will begin to cultivate a resilience that you may not have possessed before. Whatever it is that you are doing to take care of yourself, whether addressing small issues or tackling a much larger one, you will build resilience. Not only will you build resilience, but you will learn to persevere and continue even when you don’t want to. If you are having problems with the perseverance element of your self-care and feel that you lack self-worth, you might want to consider seeking help from a coach, therapist, or counselor. Resilience and perseverance can be learned through self-care, and if not, don’t ever be afraid to ask for help.
Energized, Well-Rested, and Satisfied
Taking care of yourself can restore your zeal for life, or it can give you a new one. When you take care of yourself, you nourish your body, and so your body feels much better. You will notice that you have more energy, you feel like you are actually getting sleep for once, and best of all, you feel satisfied with your life, where it is going, and how you are managing it.
Social Self-Care
Self-care does not necessarily have to be something you do alone. In fact, communal betterment groups exist solely to help people to take better care of themselves. Social self-care, for some, is the only way that they could begin to possibly address their issues. Everybody is different, and not everybody can motivate themselves. If you are one such person, then seeking out social self-care groups can be a great way to not only interact with other people in your community experiencing the same issues as you, but it can help you to make friends and improve upon your communicative skills.
Balance
Finding a balance in your life is extremely important. When we do not take care of ourselves, it is easy to feel consumed by negative emotions, and we might find ourselves unable to work or function normally. Taking care of yourself can bring balance to your life, and balance is the key to a healthy, happy, and successful future. You must find balance in your health, physically and mentally, and in your life, work, and otherwise. Balance leads to overall wellness.
How Can I Take Care of Myself?
Taking care of yourself is much easier than you might have thought that it was. Begin developing a regular sleep routine, try to eat healthier, drink lots of water, go for walks outdoors, or conversely, run outdoors. Use your holiday time and sick leave instead of working yourself to the bone, and be sure to exercise regularly. You should also try to cultivate social relationships and ties; isolating yourself from the world never leads anywhere good. Aristotle said that ‘Whoever finds happiness in solitude is either a wild beast or a God’, and very few of us are Gods.
Taking care of yourself, for all of the reasons that we have mentioned, is crucially important to a good quality of life. Without self-care, you will struggle to find happiness or stability. Take back your life and seize control through self-care. Why wait any longer?
Photo by Kaylee Garrett on Unsplash
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