It’s important to take time to take care of our mind, body and soul every time and allowing good things in your life that nourish and bring balance to ourselves. Self-care being an individual practice, the individual should plan on the when and how to go about it, practicing self-care isn’t always easy there will be challenges involved because some of us are always busy with jobs, school or being consumed with the trends of technology and we end up putting the “me time” as the last thing in our to do list.
Sometimes it can be hard to find that extra time to take care of yourself and that’s where planning comes in. It’s important to plan for self-care time, that 20mins that you think is not enough is more than enough for example, setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier than your wake up time and have a 6mins meditation then a longer shower and finally a cup of coffee/tea while relaxed as you ponder on the ways to move with yourself throughout the day. Doing this everyday will make you be focused, connected to yourself and will help you grow.
Studies show that taking care of yourself increases the quality of your life and effectiveness this includes, being healthy due to good eating habits which also prevents falling sick because the food you are eating is nutritive for your body and mind. Taking care of ourselves puts us in a better position to help and be supportive to the people we love and care about.
Here are the strategies I use to take care of myself and the good thing is they can be used by anyone because they are easy to follow and have good outcome. And I believe they can help you to be healthier, happy and stay in touch with your mind, body and soul.
Daily exercises
Doing exercises boosts moods, reduces stress and anxiety while also helping us physically to stay in shape. Exercising sometimes gets tiresome, I don’t go to the gym all the time only 3 days a week is enough, but on the other 4 days I incorporate other exercises like jogging in the evening at 6pm and finish with 2(10times) sets pushups.
Cooking
Most of the time people don’t take time to make themselves hearty meal instead they do fast foods and most of this meals aren’t loaded with the right amount of nutrients your body needs. Find time even 3 times a week to make yourself a healthy meal and as time goes by you’ll notice a positive change in yourself. For me I always do my meals every day and I incorporate a lot of veggies and fruits especially salads. I got to say it feels nice to make your own meals it’s like a self-therapy makes you feel proud and good about yourself.
Unplugging
Many of us are too consumed by technology such that we can’t find time for ourselves away from phones and other devices. When it comes to self-care unplugging once in while will be good for you and your brain as it will give the brain the downtime it needs to work at an optimal level. For me I unplug on the weekends to have my own time to take long walks, biking or even zip lining with friends.
That calmness and relaxation you feel while sitting by yourself at the beach with no noise, your eyes closed while feeling the breeze from the ocean/sea pass you by, with the sound of waves and birds surrounding you that feeling is priceless for a moment you forget your problems and it feels good. That’s unplugging
Additionally, take a road trip to another place you’ve never been before, it will help you relax, spark your creativity and create new memories.
Dancing
Even though am literally the worst dancer of all times I find it fun and relieving. I always put on my favorite jams with the volume up and dance around the house even in the shower like some crazy person and my mood will just lighten up and in return I feel very happy and good about yourself and you can do that too just like me, you don’t need good dance moves, just do those crazy, weird and unheard of dancing moves as long as you are shaking something in you all is good. As you are doing these strategies don’t force yourself, it’s all about the will to do them and how passionate you are on improving your own self to a better version.