The Importance of Self-care
- the-lighthouseblog
- Jun 23, 2020
- 3 min read
Disclaimer: I am no mental health professional, this article was written from the information I have compiled from trusted sources as well as my own personal experience.
The world keeps moving and does not stop and wait for anyone. At times, we get so caught up in our fast-paced lifestyles that we don’t take a minute to stop and check-in with ourselves.
Other times, we bury ourselves so far into other people’s issues that we forget about our own. We have this internal desire to help people and the feeling we get after doing so is extremely fulfilling. It is easy to get caught up in this feeling and it’s also great to help people, but sometimes we can benefit from a little care given to ourselves. The soul inside of us needs just as much love as we give to our friends.
It’s important that we remind ourselves that we come first and our needs are also important. Self-care is something that you shouldn’t simply push to the back burner, as it is important to your mental state and physical body. It can help manage stress and anxiety and give you that feeling of accomplishment, no matter how big or small the act of care is. Here are some ways that you can show yourself some care and love.
1. Know your worth: Understand that you are worth it. You are enough, you are more than enough. Self-care can help you decrease the number of negative thought patterns floating through your head and give you the capacity to feel good about yourself, therefore increasing self-esteem and boosting your mood overall. This can be hard, but remember, this is a process and takes time.
2. Say no: I myself am a people pleaser. I tend to agree to almost anything anyone asks of me at the fear that someone will hate me if I say no. But sometimes, agreeing to everything may cost us our own peace of mind, so it’s important to say no sometimes, and take control of our lives back into our own hands.
3. Gratitude: Showing gratitude for the things in our life, no matter how big or small they are, can remind us what we have to live and to keep going for. It can help us focus on the positive things that our experiences have brought us rather than the negative ones.
4. Physical activity: Physical health and mental health have proven to be interlinked. If we spend a little bit of time working on our bodies we can take care of our mental health as well. Scientifically, physical exercise of some sort has proven to be a significant mood booster and anxiety reducer.
5. Creativity: Self-expression has been one of the ways that have helped me the most. Whether it is through painting, violin, or dance, I have found solace in expressing myself and creating something. Understandably, this isn’t something that everyone will be able to relate to, but for me, art has given me a sense of accomplishment and worth, while also calming my mind.
These are a few of the things that have helped me take care of myself and reduce some of the stress and anxiety that plagues me on almost a regular basis. Once again, remember to take care of yourself and take a break every once in a while from your normal and stressful life, and remember, you are enough.
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