How to Practice Self Care

You may reach a point where you realise you have spent so many years looking after everyone else that you have forgotten the importance of looking after yourself. We often spend most of our years caring for our children, then an ageing parent or even a spouse or friend, and it has never left time to consider the importance of self-care and how there has never been time to practice these important techniques.

What is self-care?

Many may consider self-care a form of indulgence, but it should be a part of day-to-day life. It is such an essential part of your well-being, health and happiness. It is the practice of taking some time to do something you enjoy and something that makes you feel relaxed and happy.

There is no way of defining self-care, as it depends on the individual and what they enjoy doing. However, the unspoken rule is that it is something that brings you joy, so the term is really up for interpretation. The main four categories that self-care falls into are physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

• Physical self-care will most likely involve ensuring you are getting enough sleep, exercising, or making healthy choices when it comes to food.
• Mental self-care can include things that keep your mind active and can be a chance to reflect on your mental well-being.
• Emotional self-care could be as simple as learning to say ‘no’ to things you don’t want to do, enjoying a bubble bath, reading a book, or basically just taking a pause from your daily routine.
• On the other hand, spiritual self-care is practising meditation, writing in a gratitude journal or religious activities such as attending a service. It is a more modern phrase often associated with relaxing, but it can be much more. 

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Ways you can practice self-care

As mentioned, self-care is up to the interpretation of what you enjoy and what you find beneficial. So, one of the first things you should do is make a list of the things that help you relax, whether it is reading, gardening or eating healthier. You should then look at planning some time during the week to do your self-care routine, such as using a Sunday to recharge your mind.

Choosing healthy options can be a significant first step in incorporating self-care into your daily life. You could decide to eat healthier by eating a balanced diet and choosing better options, getting enough sleep and exercising to the best of your ability; all of these will give you a good start in practising self-care. This will then tie in well with your physical health and would be a great reminder to ensure you are having regular medical, dental and eye check-ups, as this can be a great way to give you peace of mind and keep you relaxed in the long run.

As we get older, we can often struggle with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, and even if you feel like you are positive, it is also good to speak to someone if you feel like your mental health is declining, are worried about something or have just had a bad day. Opening up to these types of conversations is really important in the process of practising self-care. If you feel like you don’t have many people to talk to, then there will most likely be support groups near you where you can meet people in a situation and even make a friend or two.

If you struggle to think of things you can do on your own self-care journey, consider what you enjoy doing as a hobby and what relaxes you. Finding some ways to relax, such as having a relaxing bath, meditating, or even taking some time to breathe and stretch, can do wonders.

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The Benefits of Self-Care

Having the time to practice self-care has incredible benefits, as it can improve your well-being and all-around health. Of course, a large part of self-care is committing to look after your body and becoming more attuned to how you feel and when you need to practice this type of care. It is important to remember that the benefits are not always bubble baths, yoga and massages, but how it makes your mind and body feel refreshed and ready to face anything.

Self-care really is about having time to yourself and taking that moment to breathe and reflect. Still, it can involve planning the future, such as installing mobility equipment, such as curved stairlifts, to improve your life at home. Everyone should have the opportunity to practice self-care at some point in their day and take that moment to yourself, as it can really make you feel good about yourself and positive about life.

For more information or guides, then take a look at the rest of our blog.