Everyone is guilty of letting their busy life get the best of them from time to time. Whether it's your work life, personal life, or family life, take a step back. Think about yourself for a moment. What do you need? What can you do for yourself to ensure success, happiness, and overall better health? You and only you can answer these questions.
Self-care can be defined as "the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health" (Oxford). Self-care is individualized. It concerns one's mental, emotional, and physical health. However, self-care is not a selfish act. If you cannot take care of yourself, how can you take care of others? You must make sure you are providing your mind, body, and soul with what it needs first, to guarantee that you are able to provide for others in return. Find practices and routines that work specifically for you and integrate them into your daily life. Self-care can be key to improving mood, reducing anxiety, and improving relationships in one's life (Raphailia Michael, MA). One of the most important relationships is the one you maintain with yourself. Self-care plays an important role in this relationship by producing positive feelings, boosting self-confidence, improving self-esteem, finding self-worth, and reminding one that individual needs are important too (Forbes). Finding good self-care practices that work for you, is a good way to find balance in your life. Balance is key to juggling all of the commitments and daily struggles life throws our way. As we roll into the holiday season, it's even more imperative to exercise self-care. Be sure to put time aside for yourself and try out some of these self-care tips and tricks!
Here are some tips to ensure you stay healthy, sane, and a little happier during this busy time:
1. Drink more water.
2. Make sleep more of a priority in your life.
3. Exercise regularly.
4. Implement a healthy, well-balanced diet.
5. Learn when to say "no" without feeling guilty. Schedule time for yourself. Alone time is important too!
6. Take time for your skincare. Establish a skincare regimen if you don't already have one. You only have one face, take care of it!
7. Unplug from technology & get outside.
8. Take a day, a weekend, or even a road trip for yourself to regroup.
9. Read more. Pick up a book instead of your phone before bed.
10. Write more! Take time to reflect on your thoughts at the end of the day. Write down three things that you are grateful for and the three best things that happen each day.
11. Spend time with family and friends.
12. Have a dance party. When things get really rough, just dance it out! Trust me on this one :)
13. Get creative and step out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself!
14. Get organized. Declutter your life!
15. Treat or reward yourself.
16. Make yourself a home-cooked meal.
17. Focus on your accomplishments, not your failures.
18. Ditch your scale. Stop focusing on a number and listen to how your body feels.
19. Have more patience with yourself, you cannot do everything.
20. Don't take everything so seriously.
