Taking responsibility for your own health and wellness isn’t just a new fad. In the post-pandemic era, it has become a priority that combines both physical and mental health.
Airline travelers would recall the safety guidelines that the cabin crew advise as your flight takes off. Most of us fail to pay attention, but it is an important life lesson in self care. In case there’s a safety crisis on board, the guidelines caution you to put on your own oxygen mask first before trying to assist or attend to someone else. This instruction ensures that each passenger stays safe and doesn’t waste time or effort in attending to another, thus endangering their own safety.
This is something that you must keep in mind when you think about self care. Unless you are in a good state of health, you won’t be able to care for someone else. So, taking this concept forward, let’s look at some of the self care hacks that will ensure that you stay relaxed and in the pink of health.
5 Self Care Tips For A More Balanced Life
- Sleep, Diet, Hydration and Exercise: It’s important to analyze your lifestyle and take stock of what your routine is. Prioritize your nutritional needs. Talk to your healthcare service provider or a nutritionist to recommend diets that are suitable to your age, health status, lifestyle and budget. Ensure that you drink enough liquids to stay hydrated. It’s a good idea to set an alarm on your phone to remind you to drink some water at regular intervals. Everyone’s sleep requirements are different but on average, you need at least 8 hours. Use sleep aids such as silk pillowcases and eye pads, develop your own sleep rituals and don’t use digital devices before bedtime.
- Journaling: Recording your emotions in black and white is highly therapeutic. It helps you to vent in a safe space, without fear of retribution or backlash. Get yourself a bullet journaling kit, equipped with a spiral notebook, writing implements, washi tape, colored markers and stickers. Journaling also helps you to stay organized. You can make your to-do lists for the day, month and long-term, jot down items for your grocery list as you remember them. With a journal, you won’t forget birthdays, anniversaries and special events in the lives of your loved ones.
- Yoga, Meditation: Whatever your age or health status, traditional wellness practices such as yoga, tai chi and meditation help to promote mental and physical wellness. You can enroll in a yoga or tai chi class that’s located close to your home or place of work. This will ensure that you don’t stress about long commutes, and you can work the class into a convenient schedule. These practices are rooted in ancient knowledge systems that have been perfected over centuries. Ensure that you equip yourself with good quality accessories. These practices are a lifetime commitment that will serve you throughout your life. You can practice at any time or in any location.
- Screen Time: A malediction of the Information Age is the universal addiction to various screens. Be it your phone, laptop or tablet, it’s hard to imagine a life without a digital device at your fingertips. They are a necessity at work and at home. However, the flip side is an unnatural dependence on them. Excessive screen time creates depression, sleep disturbances, lying about actual use and deception, stress and social isolation. Paradoxically, you feel that you are connected via social media, but that comes with its own issues that could affect your emotional well-being. It’s wise to limit screen time to set times during the day and prioritize real-time contact with real people compared to virtual experiences.
- Set Boundaries: At home or at work, you are connected to people who make demands on your time, money, effort or physical and emotional support. This is an important concept to keep in mind, because most of us are naturally inclined to help out. The problem is that it’s difficult to refuse to pitch in when someone asks for assistance. You can convey your responses in a firm yet sensitive and respectful manner. Prioritize your own limitations, and keep non-negotiables firmly in view when you agree to help or decline. Communicate your thoughts clearly and in good time, so that the person can look for alternate assistance.
Looking After Yourself Better – Key Takeaways
When you look at the ways in which you can leverage self care, mindfulness, kindness and gratitude are some of the practices that you can incorporate into your lifestyle. There is immense room for self reflection and self analysis in your journey towards caring for yourself.
Once in a while, take a break from your regular routine. This is the best time to take stock of your lifestyle, and what are the pain points in this quest. Self care is an ongoing process, and not a product that you can pick off a supermarket shelf. For more information and products for your relaxation, self care and health and wellness, visit https://restanddigest.com.au/
This is an opportunity to rest and digest, relax, get a massage, pick up a hobby or find a like minded friend to travel with. Keep your health status in mind when you embark on something new so that it doesn’t cause more of a hazard.
Develop a support network that you can rely on in times of crisis. It could be neighbors, relatives or people you work with. Keep positive thoughts in your focus when you’re dealing with new and unfamiliar situations. Gather all the available information before you make a decision and take responsibility for your actions.
Self care is a conscious choice you make to think, act and feel in ways that give you the most wellness and relaxation.