Exploring The Benefits of Self-Care

“Self-care is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation” - Audre Lorde

What is self-care? Self-care is a practice of taking care of your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing by acknowledging small, everyday moments of magic in life and investing time into improving your comfort and happiness. It’s a practice that isn’t selfish or indulgent but rather a proactive approach to life that helps improve mental productivity and well-being.

Often, life can put tremendous demands on us with little time left to take care of ourselves. We may be hustling hard to keep up to our daily demands, but it’s important to remember that taking care of yourself is essential to functioning at an optimal level. Unfortunately, self-care is still seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, but the truth is self-care is a necessity in order to keep our minds and bodies healthy.

The Benefits of Self-Care

Self-care can be a great practice for improving mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Here are the benefits of self-care:

1. Improved Mental Wellbeing: Regular self-care can help to reduce stress and anxiety due to factors like work, relationships, and day to day life. Investing just a few minutes each day to practice self-care can be a powerful way to keep your mental health in check.

2. Stronger Focus: Taking moments for yourself during the day can help to increase focus and productivity. It’s important to remember that taking regular breaks throughout the day can help to increase your concentration, thereby leading to greater productivity overall.

3. Increased Creativity: Whether you’re an artist or an entrepreneur, creative self-care can push you to do your best work. Taking time to think, observe, and reflect can be a valuable way to nourish your creativity and explore new ideas.

4. Better Self-Compassion: Self-care can also be a great way to show yourself love and compassion. Taking time away from the hustle and everyday life can help to remind us of our worth and value, leading to increased self-esteem.

5. Improved Mental Clarity: Self-care can also help to build mental clarity – an important factor for navigating life challenges. Taking time to take care of yourself can help to build the inner strength and resilience necessary for managing challenges and changes in life.

How To Prioritize Self-Care

While it’s important to prioritize self-care, it can be hard to fit it into our already demanding lives. Here are a few tips for how to prioritize self-care:

1. Don’t Overly Commit: Being overcommitted can lead to chaos in your life and make it difficult to ever find the time to take care of yourself. It’s okay to say “no” and focus on taking good care of yourself instead.

2. Make Time: Self-care doesn’t need to be an elaborate affair – even setting aside just 30 minutes per day to do something that brings you joy can be greatly beneficial for your mental and physical wellbeing.

3. Schedule It: Self-care is more likely to be effective if it can be routinely scheduled. Try setting a weekly reminder for yourself to take a few moments to take care of yourself.

4. Set Realistic Goals: The goals you set should be realistic and achievable based on your lifestyle. It’s better to start small and focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t.

5. Find Your “Thing”: Everyone’s self-care practices will look different – it’s important to find what works best for you. Whether it’s yoga, meditation, reading, painting, or something else entirely, find the form of self-care that you truly enjoy and that feeds your soul.

Taking Care of Yourself with Self-Care

Self-care is an essential practice for anyone looking to increase mental and physical wellbeing. It’s important to set aside regular time for self-care, in order to ensure that you are giving your mental and physical health the attention and care it needs to stay in optimal condition. With these tips, you can make self-care a habit and create a space for yourself to take care of your mind, body, and soul.

“Do something today that your future self will thank you for” - Unknown