| We often hear the words ‘self care’ but what it means and why it is important to conduct regular self-care practices is not very clear. So let us examine this topic in a little detail. Many a times, people think that self-care is to take good care of one’s appearance, face and skin care and so on. They typically equate self-care with personal grooming and beauty-routine. But self care is much more than that. It is not just for women but for everyone and for every age-group… Self-care refers to taking intentional and deliberate actions to improve your | |
physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. It involves making conscious and aware choices that contribute to your overall health and happiness, such as getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise, and nurturing relationships with others.
Even though it may not seem very obvious, self-care also involves setting healthy boundaries with others, saying no to activities or commitments that drain your energy, and taking time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Because even though at an apparent level, it may not seem directly like self-care, not setting such healthy boundaries inevitably tend to create more stress and strain in our life and affect our life experience and our sense of happiness.
Now that we understand what self-care is, let us look at five self-care practices that we can do to help enhance our vitality and overall sense of wellbeing:
1. Exercise: We know that regular exercise can help improve cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles and bones, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. In addition, doing exercise regularly can help you to increase your energy levels and also reduce feelings of fatigue.
We find that exercise is not just an important part of maintaining good physical health, it can also become an essential part of our self-care routine. Regular exercise can not only help us to reduce stress and feel more energy, it can also boost our mental health and improve our self-esteem.
2. Mindfulness and meditation: Meditation practices such as mindful awareness or even traditional meditation practices help us to become more aware of our thoughts and emotions. It helps us to tap into our body’s message and understand the messages that our body is sending us through various feelings and sensations.
By conducting mindfulness meditation, we can develop a greater sense of self-awareness which in turn can help us to make positive changes in our life. Living a mindful life is a great way to stay relaxed and rejuvenated even as we go about our daily routines.
3. Good sleep: We all know the importance of getting a good night’s sleep, but this is probably one of the most overlooked or ignored self-care routine! Make sure to get good quality sleep. And when it comes to sleep it is not just the quantity about also quality of sleep which makes a big difference.
If you find it difficult to catch good “zzz-s” then schedule that in your daily routine. Give yourself some time to take an afternoon nap and wind down earlier in the evening, so your body will be ready to sleep as you near your bedtime.
4. Nutritious diet: It is very important to eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet. Out daily food should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats that provide our body with the essential nutrients that it needs to function properly.
Doing this can boost our immune system and reduce our risk of getting sick and improve our overall sense of vibrance and vitality.
Even though it may not seem very obvious, self-care also involves setting healthy boundaries with others, saying no to activities or commitments that drain your energy, and taking time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Because even though at an apparent level, it may not seem directly like self-care, not setting such healthy boundaries inevitably tend to create more stress and strain in our life and affect our life experience and our sense of happiness.
Now that we understand what self-care is, let us look at five self-care practices that we can do to help enhance our vitality and overall sense of wellbeing:
1. Exercise: We know that regular exercise can help improve cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles and bones, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. In addition, doing exercise regularly can help you to increase your energy levels and also reduce feelings of fatigue.
We find that exercise is not just an important part of maintaining good physical health, it can also become an essential part of our self-care routine. Regular exercise can not only help us to reduce stress and feel more energy, it can also boost our mental health and improve our self-esteem.
2. Mindfulness and meditation: Meditation practices such as mindful awareness or even traditional meditation practices help us to become more aware of our thoughts and emotions. It helps us to tap into our body’s message and understand the messages that our body is sending us through various feelings and sensations.
By conducting mindfulness meditation, we can develop a greater sense of self-awareness which in turn can help us to make positive changes in our life. Living a mindful life is a great way to stay relaxed and rejuvenated even as we go about our daily routines.
3. Good sleep: We all know the importance of getting a good night’s sleep, but this is probably one of the most overlooked or ignored self-care routine! Make sure to get good quality sleep. And when it comes to sleep it is not just the quantity about also quality of sleep which makes a big difference.
If you find it difficult to catch good “zzz-s” then schedule that in your daily routine. Give yourself some time to take an afternoon nap and wind down earlier in the evening, so your body will be ready to sleep as you near your bedtime.
4. Nutritious diet: It is very important to eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet. Out daily food should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats that provide our body with the essential nutrients that it needs to function properly.
Doing this can boost our immune system and reduce our risk of getting sick and improve our overall sense of vibrance and vitality.
| | 5. Social engagement and support: Having meaningful interactions with friends, family and also our community can do wonders for our overall mental health and our sense of wellbeing. By nurturing our relationships with others and seeking out support when we need it, we can build a strong support network that helps us stay grounded, focused, and resilient. In this regard, counseling can also be very helpful. This does not need |
to be professional counseling, but simply speaking and interacting with close friends and family or small community groups where people are empathetic to the topic is a great way to practice self-care and promote emotional wellbeing.
In this way, we find that practicing self-care regularly, can not only improve our overall quality of life, reduce stress, and cultivate a greater sense of inner peace but it can also enhance our sense of happiness and wellbeing.
In this way, we find that practicing self-care regularly, can not only improve our overall quality of life, reduce stress, and cultivate a greater sense of inner peace but it can also enhance our sense of happiness and wellbeing.
