10 Steps to Self Care for Women AND Men
We all need to regroup with ourselves sometimes.
All too often we get lost in the hustle bustle of life and before we know it, we take a step back and realize we’ve run ourselves into the ground. It’s usually after we discover we’re not being as productive at work, or our significant other points out how distracted we’ve been, or we notice that lately we just haven’t felt our best. I wanted to be sure to pull the men into this, because let’s be honest, how many of them naturally read tips on self care? It’s important fellas, keep reading.
Spend some time alone.
In today’s world we are constantly connected with others. It can really put you in a fog. So first and foremost – you must occasionally unplug. Put your phone on do not disturb (after telling the people who matter what you’re doing so not to induce panic) and try to spend an entire day with yourself. Get away from the noise and dirty air. Before you know it you’ll love stepping away and just being alone sometimes.
Get inspired.
During that alone time, get lost in your thoughts. Try to pin point what really makes you lose motivation. Do you often feel distracted at work? Do your relationships with some people seem to exhaust you more than give you life? Is your health standing in the way of you doing certain things? You have to find the cause before you can find the solution.
Kick bad habits.
Many “causes” can come from certain life choices. Those 2 cups of coffee you just have to have every morning to start your day – or that 1 giant, sugar overloaded latte that costs you $25 a week. The cigarette you need to light up after every meal. Your friends only wanting to get drunk on the weekends…I’m not preachin’ at ya, but the things that you know aren’t good but you do them anyway, maybe it’s time to finally give them up and start being the best version of yourself.
Simplify (or enhance) your “beauty” regimen.
So much stress can come from changing the way we look. Maybe instead of spending 30 minutes every morning putting on a full face of makeup you can get some extra sleep, or even spend that time exercising, reading a good book, or making a yummy breakfast. Or maybe you enjoy, or would enjoy, taking that time on yourself. That’s fine too. The goal is to be comfortable in your own skin so you can start each day feeling refreshed and confident.
Go to sleep
Stop pretending that you can function at your maximum capacity on 5 hours of sleep every night. The CDC states that 35% of American adults don’t get enough sleep (less than 7 hours in a 24 hr period) and this is linked to a rainbow of chronic health problems. Do I really need to say more?
https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html
Be water conscious.
Another thing American Adults aren’t getting enough of – WATER. The CDC says only about 22% of us are consuming a sufficient amount of water every day. Remember in grade school when we learned our bodies are made up mostly of water? So yeah, it makes sense that the more you drink the better you feel.
Goals Goals Goals
Step 7 of being the best version of yourself, goals! Life is nothing without them. A lot of people have no idea how to properly set forth a plan to achieve their goals. You have to simultaneously look at each step you take while keeping your eye on the prize ahead. Think short term = long term. Setting small goals each day will allow you to build up to the big ones.
https://www.livechatinc.com/blog/customer-service-goals/
Find a hobby.
At the end of the day when all of your responsibilities have been taken care of, what do you do to unwind? What do you do that you do solely for yourself? It’s important to have an answer to these questions. You might have to try a few things before you find your niche – in fact, you should always be willing to inquire about new things. You could be missing out on something you’re really good at or like a lot.
Become emotionally aware.
This actually isn’t talked about a lot. Emotional intelligence is vital. When you’re able to recognize and effectively express your own personal feelings – you will begin to better understand the people around you. This will improve your own coping skills and also help you manage interpersonal relationships thoughtfully and empathetically.
http://www.trainwitheti.com/how-emotional-intelligence-affects-the-bottom-line/
Ask for help.
If you’ve read through this and kept thinking “I just don’t have time for that” I really encourage you to seek help. Even if that just means telling your boss there’s no way you can pick up that extra shift again, or telling your partner that you really cannot go to another family event this weekend, or asking a friend if your hanging out today could consist of helping you fold laundry while sipping some wine. You cannot be the best version of yourself – the best mother/father, wife/husband, employee, friend, etc if you don’t take care of yourself. You cannot pour from an empty glass. Never feel selfish for putting your own needs on the table.
Be well!
About the Creator
Rayelle Paulson
Rayelle and her husband live in Ohio with their three children. She enjoys her family, food, and deep conversations. Find her on Pinterest.
Keep reading
More stories from Rayelle Paulson and writers in Motivation and other communities.
The Reality of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout
EMTs, police officers, firefighters, social/case workers, medical professionals… they’re the bleeding hearts, the empaths. They often see the very worst of us but the majority of them choose their career path with one main goal—to help people. But have you ever run into a cop that just didn’t want to hear your sob story of why you were speeding? That nurse who was a complete bitch when you went to the emergency room for your cold? Did you maybe think they had no place working with the public? Well, the reality is they’re probably experiencing Compassion Fatigue and Burnout, things any decent person has experienced whether they work directly with people or not.
By Rayelle Paulson6 years ago in Journal
It Only Took One Minute.......
It only took a minute. I was sitting at the computer in my office when the phone rang. I picked up the receiver and then laid it down my desk as I went to find the student who the call was for. Within seconds I was back at my desk, ready to resume typing, when I heard the student yelling obscenities at me for listening in to his call through the handset that was still lying on the desk. Sick and tired of the lies he was spewing, I was up running down the hall, ready to kill him. By the time I reached him, I had calmed enough not to hurt him, but as I turned back towards my room, I knew that I couldn’t go on like this any longer. The decision was clear. I had to leave.
By Gail Wylie5 days ago in Motivation
better than 1 percent every day part 1 (self-development motivation)
If you can't fly then run If you can't run then walk . But no matter what you're doing you have to move forward. Always tell yourself You yourself may be less intelligent than others and have a starting point, but you have to put in 3 times more effort, 4 times more, or even 10 times more. I haven't found a better way than trying with perseverance. by perseverance and constant efforts to achieve goals when you have a lower starting point than others. Everyone has a dream, I believe you do too. Whether the dream is big or small, việc đạt được ước mơ là cả một quá trình. But not everyone makes efforts to achieve their dreams. After a few stumbles, you often lose faith in your dreams and intend to give up. But I don't think Giving up is the right decision on the path to achieving your dreams. One of the things that motivates us to achieve success is faith. Faith has strong hidden power to help us achieve our goals. Do you know that in ancient battles, before going into battle, what soldiers often did was not choose the sharpest weapons or the heaviest armor, the important thing they did was is to strengthen their belief. They always have faith that they will win. They will defeat all opponents. Because belief will lead to action. Weak belief will lead to superficial actions. niềm tin mạnh mẽ sẽ dẫn đến hành động quyết liệt hơn. A player who goes into battle without faith in victory will not be able to score goals. An excellent leader who does not have confidence in himself will not be able to lead an organization, so to realize your dream, you must build yourself a belief in what you are doing, of course. must be accompanied by action, not daydreaming. During your efforts, there will certainly be failures. You will look at the person next to you and feel yourself slowing down and despairing about yourself, but why do you don't think I need to put in more effort instead of spending time feeling guilty for me success is a process not a destination no matter what your goal is a house a super car A happy family or a successful business, getting there is sooner or later. What's more important is the process of trying to achieve it. It could be the days of waking up early, the days of working, coming home late, trying to convince customers, tiring physical exercises that later when you look back, you will never regret and always be grateful for the things that help you grow more and more when You are successful, you have your own story to tell. If everything comes too easily, then there is no such thing as a challenge. If it comes easily, then how can it be called fire? The hardest thing is to know who can last until the end because the champion horse is not the fastest horse. People don't care as much about you as you think. Stay focused. focus on what you do and try to be 1% better every day ignore the criticism of those around you and until you succeed people start to notice you At first they laugh at you But over time they will gradually support you and eventually they will admire you. Work in silence and the results will speak for you. Silently persevere in pursuing your goals, you don't need to announce them to the world. The world knows what you are doing because you are accomplishing it, all the results will speak for you. People who brag too early when they are only in the middle of the race often fail because they are subjective. These people often do not have What's scary? The people you should feel scary are those who silently persevere in their efforts every day and when they achieve results, everyone around them will feel surprised and admire the limits set to break through the world. Limits are created by your own thoughts, so what Hamad Gunny once said especially seems impossible until you accomplish it. Remember how many things you initially found difficult. But then when you do it, you feel really excited. When you can't run one kilometer, you feel like it's really too difficult, so when you run 3 kilometers, you see reaching 5 kilometers as a challenge. The possibility of one kilometer is no longer your only concern. When you can't wake up at 6 o'clock, you will find it tiring. Until you can make it a habit. laugh when someone tells you that the habit of waking up at 6 a.m. is difficult and just like that, as you break through the limits you set for yourself, you will gradually believe in yourself more and be motivated. Conquer the next goals in your efforts and you will encounter failures, but I understand this feeling and you know that failure is part of the game and the longer the road, the more arduous it becomes. Failure is a ladder to help you go further, put your foot on each step.
By TVN-Triệu Ninh5 days ago in Motivation
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.