Why Self Care Needs to Part of Your Life

 How often do you indulge in self-care? Choosing to put yourself first and do something that helps you to relax and unwind should never be thought of as selfish or more essential. However, with the world still going through massive changes affecting day to day life, it makes sense that now more than ever, the phrase "self-care" is being pushed, and rightly so.

But what constitutes self-care, and why is it important?

Self-care is described as;

"the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress."

What is selfish about wanting to take care of yourself? Allowing yourself to become run down, exhausted, pulled in too many different directions will only result in increasing your stress levels and making you feel worse than you need to.

The more we do, the more our bodies struggle to keep up. So even if you are eating the best diet in the world, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep, trying to cram too much into the rest of your day will at some point become too much for you.

Practising Regular Self Care

While a one-off session dedicated to you may seem like a good option once in a while, there is a benefit for incorporating this into your lifestyle regularly. So schedule some time each day/week/month to do something that will make you feel better and benefit your mental and physical health.

There are various self-care choices, and what constitutes self-care for me might not work for someone. You need to find what works for you; make sure to make time for it. It could be something as simple as reading a book. Take yourself off to bed half an hour earlier to read before you close your eyes and allow yourself to remove yourself from life for those 30 minutes.

Or maybe it is buying yourself some new negligee or a workout outfit, or finally booking that weekend away with family, friends or loved ones. What you do isn't as important as making time to do it when it comes to self-care.

What Are The Benefits of Self Care?

There are numerous advantages to practising self-care. However, accepting this concept can be difficult for those who have always prioritised the well-being of others. Giving all of your energy to those around you, on the other hand, leaves you depleted and empty. That is not the way to live. Spending time and effort on yourself, on the other hand, rejuvenates and energises you.

Taking time to pursue your own interests demonstrates your worth, leading to increased self-esteem and a more optimistic outlook on life. It teaches you a lot about yourself and gives you insight into what you need to be your best self. Self-care allows you to cope with stress more effectively and prioritise what is important to you. When you take care of yourself, you will be better able to care for others.

So next time you decide to put yourself on the back burner, think about the benefits of taking time to carve out space for yourself to look after yourself and treat yourself how you deserve to be treated.