How to Truly Take Good Care of Yourself
By Rachel Shouse
The past 12 months have taught us, and the rest of the world, a lot of lessons. Some of us learned financial lessons while others may have learned how important their loved ones are. Problems with mental health have skyrocketed as well. Among those problems though, there are less difficult -- dare I say beneficial -- lessons you've also learned. Taking proper care of yourself is very likely one of them. Get even further in that area by being mindful of what you need and want, prioritizing your life and obligations in order to reduce stress, and implementing simple but powerful changes.
Remain Mindful of What You Want and Need
It's hard to focus on yourself during times of stress. You could very well feel guilty just thinking about you right now. While that's completely understandable, it's not OK. You can't expect yourself to go through your day-to-day life happily if you never take time to think about yourself.
In times of high stress it's doubly important that you take care of yourself. You can do this by:
- Maintaining a healthy diet and getting adequate exercise
- Developing a simple self-care routine that you'll enjoy
- Writing a list of what could lift you up when you feel down
Prioritize Your Life to Reduce Your Stress
Juggling everything on your plate may feel like an insurmountable task. It's unfortunate, but a lot of people feel the weight of life immediately upon waking up in the morning. If this happens, it's also unlikely that those people didn't get a very good night's sleep. Those two problems put together can do a lot of damage to your self-esteem, relationships, stress levels, etc.
In order to counteract and hopefully prevent that from happening anymore, make a list of what matters to you the most. If you have kids, they obviously go first. Being sure to spend time with them intentionally will also reduce the likelihood that you'll feel guilty as most parents do. If you're stressed because you're behind at work, write a list of what you need to complete and plan when you'll complete those tasks. Keep it reasonable though. Last but not least, remember that you're human. Perfection is unrealistic so give yourself loads of grace.
Implement Simple but Powerful Changes
There is very likely at least one area that you know causes you stress. You may feel like there's not enough time in a day to complete everything. This is very common. Being mindful of what you're spending your time on can help a lot. Set a timer when you sit down to watch TV, play video games, knit, or whatever it is that you like to do. Some of your stress could be fixed with a little time management.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Elgin, Ill.