When life catches up with you, it’s more important than ever to keep the good vibes flowing and your soul well-nourished.
BY: EMILY HOLDORF, MS, RDN
Self-care has become a major focus across health and wellness in recent years, and for good reason.
Self-care is essentially all about taking time to take of yourself to reduce stress, enhance your well-being, and achieve a sense of inner peace. This can look different to everyone, and is a very individualized practice. Some may like to be active, while others may enjoy alone time with a book, or a mix of everything in between.
While everyone has their own version of health, self-care is all about creating simple routines that nourish your body and soul. There are two ways to achieve this:
- Proactive – Make a point to schedule in regular self-care time each week & make it a routine.
- Reactive – When you find yourself becoming stressed or when you feel your soul is feeling depleted, turn to self-care activities to replenish the good vibes.
Here are 3 simple ways to start integrating self-care into your life:
1. Slow down the world around you.
Your mental and emotional well-being is integral to your overall health and how you live your life. That’s why it’s important to focus on self-care to manage the inevitable stress that comes your way. Our society tends to be fast-paced, and everyone seems to be hustling all the time. When you stop and take that just a little bit of time out for yourself, it can do wonders for your short-term and long-term health. It will help you stay more relaxed and focused, reduce your risk for burnout, and help you keep a clearer mind so negative thoughts won’t consume you.
2. Create a positive environment.
Surrounding yourself with positive affirmations and people who build you up is incredibly important for sustaining the energy around you. With social media today, there can be a lot of negativity that you are unintentionally subjected to without even realizing it. Take the time to go through your social media accounts and unfollow people who elicit negative thoughts about yourself. Unfollow the hunger-shaming accounts, the unrealistic body image accounts, and fill your feed with positive, uplifting images and messages. Find accounts that inspire your to be your best self & follow those.
3. Do what brings you joy.
Take some time to think about activities that create your happiest moments in your life. Ask yourself what you like to do to relax and unwind. Maybe it’s a nature walk, going to a coffee shop, a glass of wine, or a bubble bath. Perhaps it’s spending the afternoon strolling through the park with good conversations with a good friend. Whatever it is, be mindful of these activities that bring you moments of gratitude and appreciation for life. Make a list of your favorite self-care activities that you can keep somewhere safe and within reach. Now you have a bank of self-care ideas to build into your routine!
Finding a self-care routine can be difficult at first because we’re often worried about taking care of everyone else around us. However, we must remember that we need to take care of ourselves first in order to take care of others.
When we are there for ourselves first, that is when we can fully be present for others.
Adapted from the original article.
HEADER IMAGE: ANTHONY TRAN
Emily Holdorf, MS, RDN is a Scranton, PA-based private practice dietitian on a mission to empower others to live a healthier, happier life. By emphasizing a non-diet approach to eating, Emily helps individuals form a better relationship with food by focusing on why there’s room for every food in moderation. Find out more about about Emily at EmPowered Nutrition.
Well written and good suggestions to follow. I like that you keep it simple but very informative. Thanks for the good advice!