The Importance of Self-Care
According to the World Health Organization, Self-Care Day is on July 24. This symbolic day was chosen because self-care can be practiced 24 hours a day/7 day a week. Self-care is a conscious act people take to promote and improve their overall health and wellbeing. Often, we view self-care as a luxury and therefore neglect caring for ourselves. When this happens, we find ourselves overtired, burned out, and unable to handle the many ups and downs of life.
Here are a few actions you can take to practice self-care.
- Physical Self-Care. How our physical body feels impacts our moods and ability to handle stress.
- Get adequate sleep.
- Move your body regularly.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Social Self-Care. Close connections are vital to our well-being.
- Prioritize time with people who are supportive and uplifting.
- Practice acts of every-day kindness to feel connected with your community.
- Pay attention to your own social battery, take breaks when you need to, seek connection when needed.
- Mental Self-Care. Keeping our mind active and practicing emotional balance is key to mental well-being.
- Practice self-compassion and acceptance.
- Do things that challenge your mind, such as learning new skills or hobbies.
- Speak to a mental health professional to help you know yourself better.
- Emotional Self-Care. Understanding and processing our emotions can lead to greater life satisfaction.
- Get to know your emotions. Name the feelings you are experiencing.
- Allow yourself to feel even the uncomfortable emotions.
- Practicing letting go of and processing your emotions.
Practicing self-care can help to increase our life satisfaction, improve our overall health and increase our energy levels. Take a moment to understand what you need most and create a plan of action. Remember doing one good thing for your health can make a huge impact, so start small and work from there.
