Self-care for women tends to get left behind and pushed to the back burner over other daily tasks. But first, let’s define what self-care is; It is taking care of yourself so you can be happy and healthy in a way that brings you joy and relieves stress. This can be done through activities, wellness classes, lifestyles changes, and so many more options. It’s important to keep your mental health a priority in your life, and this article will share some ways that can help you attain your goals.
Self-care doesn’t have to be hard or stressful, it should be things that you enjoy doing and look forward to through out the day, week, or month. The key to success in all aspects of your life, whether it be your career, family, relationships, etc., is to take care of yourself and put yourself first every once in a while.
There are 8 different kinds of self-care that include: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial. In this article we will focus on the physical and emotional by providing physical activities that will not just benefit your body but your mental health as well.
Feeling Overwhelmed
The first step is to do a quick evaluation of your life and determine what are the things that are causing you the most stress. For some, this may be juggling working full-time and taking care of young kids, it could be a demanding career, family emergencies, or just the general weight of the world, to name a few. After you’ve determined what the roots of your stress are, you can start to look at how they’re impacting you.
Does your stress keep you from doing the things you like? Do you feel so overwhelmed that you have no energy left for the things that actually make you happy? It may feel this way but once you start taking care of yourself again it will get easier over time.
These tips can be implemented slowly so you don’t feel even more overwhelmed trying to fit them into an already busy schedule. Start slow by trying one or 2 of these self-care tips once a week and eventually add as many as you want and try to incorporate them multiple times per week. Work them into your schedule and make it a habit to set time aside every week for them.
If you’re someone who struggles with time management, create a hard copy schedule to keep boundaries for your daily activities and work routine. This can be done for a couple days of the week or the whole week; a schedule will allow you to implement self-care into your lifestyle. The goal is to take care of yourself so you get your to do list done and start loving life again.
Easy Ways to Practice Self-Care for Women
Take Daily Walks
Taking a daily walk doesn’t have to be time consuming, it can be a quick 20-minute walk or it can be longer if you desire and have the time for it. This can help to clear your head and boost endorphins which is a hormone that works to improve your mood. This form of self-care is not just good for your body but your mind too.
Exercise
Move your body! This can entail home work outs or going to the gym. They don’t have to be difficult, high intensity, long workouts but should be something that is sustainable for you and that makes your body feel good. If you’re looking for a free version that you can do on your own time, there are a ton of workout programs online that give daily exercise routines. This will help boost your endorphins as well as your physical health.
Take a Bath
Taking a bath is a great way to unwind and relax. You may find it more relaxing to light a candle and play some music or read a book while doing it. This is a low energy, low movement way to give your body and mind a break from the stresses of the day. A warm bath can help release tense muscles which can improve the aches and pains in your body. If you don’t have a bath tub, a warm shower has its own benefits as well.
Read a Book
Reading a book, or another piece of literature you enjoy, helps to release you from the reeling thoughts that plague your mind at all hours of the day. Reading gives you a break from the world by immersing you in the life of the characters. This form of self-care gives you a mental break which allows you to perform other tasks better because you received some down time.
Practice a Hobby
Do something you love! This can be anything you like to do. Take some time out of the day and week to do something you really want to do; This will help you start to feel purpose in life again and feel joy. This gives you something to look forward to every week. Most women forget that self-care includes doing the things that make them feel rejuvenated so do what makes you happy!
Journal
Write down your thoughts! It doesn’t have to be a well-articulated piece of work that belongs in a novel, it can be a few short sentences about your day or things that have happened in the past week. You can write about how you feel or things that you don’t want to talk to an actual person about. These can be any and all thoughts that you have; Journaling can extend beyond just thoughts. You can write about exciting ideas, fictional stories, real stories, and just about anything that makes you want to pick up a pen and write it down.
Watch your Favorite Movie
Put on your favorite movie! Take some time to relax and watch your all-time favorite movies to give your mind a break. If you’re on the go all the time, your body could use the rest too, so make sure you grab a warm blanket and soft pillow along with your favorite snacks.
Unplug from Technology
Technology can strain our eyes and disconnect us from the things around us. Social media causes harm to your mental well being by creating bad images of yourself and your lifestyle. While some social influencers and pages are positive and work to help people, it’s helpful to take time off of the internet. Immerse yourself in the world around you weather that be feeling the sun on your skin, paying attention to a whole baseball game, or just spending quality time with friends and family.
Explore a New Place
Go on an adventure! This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money; You can explore somewhere in your own town or a neighboring town, where you’ve never been before. It can be a hike, visiting a shop, walking a main street, going to a carnival, etc. If you have the resources, travel to a new state or country. Experience different cultures, scenery, and lifestyles. This will help you take a step back from the things that are stressing you out; It will bring you joy and hopefully, bring you a renewed sense of motivation.
Affirmations
Affirmations are a great way to boost your mental health. These are words or phrases that you say to yourself that are positive and boost your wellbeing. They may seem silly at first but keep with it and you will start to believe them and change the way outside factors impact you based off of those affirmations. For example, you may say “I am strong”, and when you are feeling down you can remind yourself of that affirmation and give yourself a pick me up that will light a fire to your motivation.
Mental Health
If you’re struggling with mental health, seek help from a professional. The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused a lot of people to struggle with their mental health and as things open back up life starts to get busy again. The World Health Organization gives insight into what positive mental health looks like and discusses why it is important to keep your mental health at the top of your priority list.
The Help Guide goes into detail on why these tips are important for your mental health as well as your physical health. They give you support and make you feel as if you have the power to do these things and reach out if you need more help. Medline Plus provides other resources for you to use if you need more information in related areas such as connection or anger management. They also provide resources specific for teens and women and give articles about stories from real life people. They provide tips for eating and sleeping well as well as statistical data.
Self-care for women, as well as men, should be a topic of discussion because everybody needs to know how to take care of themselves to avoid prolonged burnout. Life is busy but start living one that you will be proud of in 20 years.
We get so caught up in life sometimes that we forget to do the things we love, the things that make us feel alive and give us joy. Things that bring you happiness can extend far beyond the things on this list but this a reminder to pursue those things. Life gets busy but it’s important to make time for the things that matter to you because there are no redo’s in life.
