Master The Art Of Self Care With These 8 Tips

Take time for yourself

Taking time to do something for you doesn't mean your quick shower before work. It means actually spending at least fifteen minutes every day doing something you want to do. It means slowing down long enough to enjoy whatever it is that centers you. This could be focusing on your beauty routine in the morning as you get ready, or it could be curling up in a favorite spot and reading a bit of a good book. It could be watching a movie you love or going for a walk in a park. Making some daily alone time a priority will only strengthen your relationships and increase your ability to help others. According to Elizabeth Scott, MS, who is a wellness coach and author, setting aside time for yourself keeps you from getting tired of the constant needs of those you care for. It gives you the recharge you need to give all your attention to the people who rely on you and prevents you from becoming overwhelmed by all the responsibilities that are placed on your shoulders. Making sure to give yourself time allows you to more fully contribute and focus on responsibilities. When you budget your finances and time to work on art, go shopping for a new purse, or add some new products to your beauty routine, it helps you to feel more stable.

Make movement a priority

Exercising may be the last thing some of us want to do. You're already exhausted from a challenging week at work, or you're dealing with a hard-headed toddler at home. You barely want to wake up in the morning, and the only thing that drags you out of bed is the fact that you simply have to do it. Why would exercising be something you add to the ever-growing list of things to do? Because it will help you with your energy. Exercise has been proven to lift moods and increase energy levels. It's even been proven to strengthen mental capacities. In a world where it's so easy to sit down and watch entertaining shows after a long day on your feet, it can be hard to stick to an exercise routine, but doing so only improves the beneficial outcomes over time. Information found on Brookings.edu reveals that over time, regular exercise makes you feel more energized because it causes more mitochondria to develop in our cells, which put out more Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. This is what our bodies use as energy, helping us feel more ready to handle our busy schedules and more capable of solving the problems that life throws our way.

Get enough sleep

Sleep is one of those things that we are always sacrificing in order to get things done. Everyone has heard of the importance of getting enough rest, but few take it as seriously as they should. Our quality of sleep impacts how we perform through the rest of our day, both physically and mentally. Deep sleep or NREM (non-rapid eye movement) has been linked to lowering blood pressure, reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer's, and helping us to lose weight; but something that many people don't know is how closely connected your overall mood, and mental health is to a lack of sleep. A study done at the Noor Sleep Lab looked at 685 patients who were referred between 2008 and 2010 who suffered from sleep apnea. It showed that more than half were also afflicted with anxiety or depression, with no other obvious attributes as consistently present. This indicated a strong link between the two. During NREM, the brain is able to rest, reducing the strain of constant emotional control. It's similar to getting off your feet after a long day of errands. Without that break at the end of the day, your legs would get overworked and weaker until collapsing. The same thing happens to your response to stress.

Drink enough water

You hear this time and time again. Drink more water. It seems every article or blog about health or life improvements mentions it somewhere, but it's for a good reason. Staying hydrated seems to be one of the hardest and most natural things we can do to improve ourselves. It can reduce headaches, enhance the appearance of your skin, and make your feel more energized. Why is it so hard for us to simply drink enough water when it aids a healthy diet and our long term beauty routine as much as it does? According to a company called Quench, when asked, 77% of Americans say they don't drink enough water during a typical workday. A large percentage of those said they just don't feel thirsty. You may be thinking that if you're not thirsty, then you must be fine, but that may not be the case. According to a professor of physiology in UConn's Department of Kinesiology in the Neag School of Education, Lawrence E. Armstrong, you don't feel thirsty until you're already dehydrated. In a study he conducted, he found that even mild dehydration made young, healthy women feel tired and suffer from headaches. They also experienced a harder time concentrating. The recommended amount of water depends a little on your weight and level of physical activities, but generally speaking, you want to drink a total of 64 ounces a day.

Make time for learning something new

When we learn a new skill, we feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. Something as simple as leaning a new sewing trick or as complicated as learning a language can increase our overall confidence in ourselves. We can form new connections, recognize hidden talents, and maybe even stumble on something that will improve a certain aspect of our lives in a big way, like opening the door to a new business venture. There's an even more startling result for those who don't feel they have the time to learn something new. It can increase how much time you have. You probably think that this isn't possible, but according to Lifestyle Updated, forcing yourself to schedule in time to learn a language or take a class will help you fine-tune an already busy schedule. It opens the way for you to recognize small pockets of free time that would have gone unnoticed before. Creating solid appointments on a daily agenda makes it easier to organize those smaller needs and helps you to feel less swamped by keeping it neat and tidy. You could look at it like a picture you're coloring. Having those lines to color in helps you to create a great picture rather than having fewer lives and, therefore, the potential for your colors to expand too far.

Stay connected to others

One of the benefits of learning something new is the extra chances it presents of making new connections with others. Forming and nurturing those relationships we have is another way to perform self-care. Some of us can live with loved ones and still not see them very much. It can seem like we have enough time to say, "Good morning. Have a good day," then we're separating, going to work or school. It can be challenging to find the time to meet with friends and family when you're already so busy, but there are health benefits to staying connected. In an article released by Harvard Medical School, it discussed how too much isolation negatively impacts depression, cardiovascular disease, cognition, mobility, and increased chances of early death. Not only this but staying connected brings a certain peace of mind. This who know there is someone they can rely on in difficult circumstances have an easier time facing those struggles that sometimes interrupt our lives. So often, we are the support for others, but knowing that we have a rock to lean on helps us to stay strong when we need to.

Give to others

One of the best ways to help ourselves feel happier is by taking the time to give something of ourselves away. Yes, I remember that we're talking about self-care, but trust me on this one. It's been proven that giving to others by participating in charitable acts improves mental and even physical health. Multiple studies have shown that giving makes us feel more satisfied and happier in our own lives. A study in 2007 even showed that performing charity stimulates or brains in the same way that sex and eating can. Giving to others doesn't always mean financially or volunteering at a soup kitchen either. It can be something as simple as helping a neighbor carry in groceries or offering to watch your sister's kids. Part of the reason this makes us happier is that we know we are doing something to improve another person's life, even if it's in a small way. We feel good when we do something nice. Humans are social animals, and while it's important to focus on ourselves, it's also important to contribute to our society in order to uplift those around us.

Plant yourself in nature

Spending time in the great outdoors is a common way for people to spend their leisure time. Many people love activities like camping, hiking, and kayaking. Spending time outside has been linked to improvements in cognition and lower stress, and has shown to aid in energy levels and a more balanced emotional outlook. Not everyone likes dirt and bugs, though. Some of us would rather enjoy our air-conditioned homes and would rather sleep in our comfortable, clean beds than in a tent. However, you can reap the benefits of the health and mood-boosting fresh air without roughing it. Open your windows on a nice day, or spend some time at a local park. Take your lunch outside or spend a few minutes drinking your morning coffee standing in an open doorway. According to a study published on Nature.com, it doesn't matter if it's only a little every day; if you're spending about 120 minutes outside a week, it will improve multiple aspects of your overall health. That's only about 18 minutes a day. The study states that the benefits of this fresh air peaked between 200 and 300 minutes a week, so the more, the better.

I hope this list has revealed some unique and easy ways to practice self-care. We as women tend to forget about ourselves until we're overworked and burnt out emotionally and physically. Our health is essential, and we should prioritize it, but it doesn't have to be all yoga and dieting. There are so many small changes we can make to strengthen our bodies and minds. Take some time out of your schedule for yourself and see how much more your life is improved.