It seems like there is an extra weight on everyone’s shoulders right now. I know so many of my friends and fellow business owners have been feeling a little more anxious and a little more stressed than usual. There is a lot going on in all of our lives and couple that with the current social and economical climate – it’s no wonder we’re all feeling a little frayed around the edges. So I wanted to put together 4 ways to practice self-care to hopefully inspire you to do something for yourself.
Tip #1 – Mental Self Care
Every way you can practice self-care is important but your mental health is arguably the most important. How you think about yourself, how you talk to yourself, and how you keep it sharp are all important when it comes to taking care of yourself. You can work on your mental health by following a few of these tips:
- Reframe how you speak to yourself.
- If you are prone to negative self-talk this can be easier said than done. I recommend writing down positive things about yourself. The parts of yourself that you love, what makes you feel good, how others who love you see you.
- Do things that mentally stimulate you as well.
- This can be puzzles, mind-sharpening games, reading, watching movies that inspire or motivate you. A popular option right now is the “Wordle” game the New York Times puts out each week.
Tip #2 – Social Self Care
Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, having a social life is important. Strong connections with friends and/or family provide you with relationships that help support you through life. When was the last time you reached out to a friend, had a face-to-face interaction with someone, or did something to nurture the relationships you have? These actions are helpful in ensuring you are having fulfilling, stimulating connections with people you care about and who care about you.
Tip #3 – Physical Self Care
When you hear ‘physical self-care’ your mind might immediately think of ‘exercise.’ But this goes beyond moving your body daily. This is how much sleep you’re getting, how you’re fueling your body, are you taking medications as needed, are you getting the physical checkups you need to maintain and monitor your health and are you seeing the professionals you need to be healthy?
Think of your physical health as the health of your entire body and mind. If you’re not getting enough sleep then your brain is functioning at its highest peak, if you’re not drinking enough water then your body is working harder than it needs to if you’re not taking your medication then you aren’t functioning at your best self. All of these different factors are important to your physical self-care and go well beyond exercise.
Tip #4 – Emotional Self Care
I don’t know a single person that doesn’t struggle with something. Whether it’s anxiety, depression, anger, or something else having healthy coping mechanisms is imperative to have well-rounded self-care. This is going to look different for each person. Some may need therapy to work through deep-seated beliefs that aren’t serving them any longer. Others may need to learn breathing and mind exercises to manage their anxiety or a confidante to help them work through a depressive episode.
Finding out your triggers and learning effective coping mechanisms will go a long way to helping you live your life in a way that is fulfilling in every other aspect.
Develop a Plan to Practice Self Care
Here’s the thing friend, the actions mentioned here aren’t going to just happen. It requires you to sit down and plan accordingly. We are always so “busy” that we forget to care for ourselves and when this happens you will pay the price. This looks different for everyone. It could be that you have a shorter fuse, you’re continuously fatigued, you lose meaningful connections, or are simply living unfulfilled. Life is too short to not be happy the majority of the time. Stress will come, anxiety will come, sadness will come – but if you have a solid self-care plan then you will be able to mitigate those episodes more successfully. I hope these 4 ways to practice self-care have been helpful.
How are you going to implement a self-care plan?
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