Self-Care is Not Selfish: How to Prioritise Your Well-Being
Self-Care is Not Selfish: How to Prioritise Your Well-Being
Why do so many women struggle to put themselves first? For years women have been praised for their selflessness, being able to take it all on and hold everything together which has caused women have forgotten about their own well-being. Somewhere along the way, selfishness became confused with self-care and we started apologising for it, when in reality it's our right to practice self-care. Here is a reminder on what you can do to prioritise self-care daily and remember your well-being is just as important as anybody else's.
Physical Health
Every evening you should be getting a minimum of 7-8 hours of quality sleep, without this its harder for your physical and mental recovery. Eating well is vital for your overall health, eating whole foods and limiting your intake of sugar and processed foods. Finding time for exercise daily can be a challenge, exercise doesn't need to be hours long or in a gym, it can be ten to thirty minutes of exercise at home. Keep hydrated! This is vital for your bodily functions, mental and physical health.
Mental Health
You can easily help with your mental health by doing simple acts of self-care, such as taking a bubble bath, reading or listening to music. These are all simple but effective acts of self-care, and are perfect to start or end your day with. Managing stress can be a hard part of self-care, to help keep your mind calm you can try to meditate, breathing exercises and mindfulness to help reduce that stress. Maintaining your relationships with others and keeping those connections strong is an important factor for your mental health. Take time out of your day, even if it's only ten minutes, just take this time to unwind and relax doing something you love like watching a show or movie you love. Journaling to practice gratitude is a great way to help have a more positive mindset, writing down what you are most thankful for and appreciating the smaller things in life. A very important act of self-care for your mental health is setting boundaries and saying no, be mindful of your priorities and energy.
Emotional Health
Keeping our emotions in check can be hard to do when your under stress, which is why prioritising your emotional health is essential for self-care. Don't bottle up your feelings, make sure you express them and talk about them with a friend or loved one. Practice self-compassion, learn to be more forgiving and understanding of yourself and to overall be less hard on yourself. Learn to let go and forgive yourself. At the end of the day your still a person and nobody is perfect, forgive yourself more. Set yourself goals and celebrate yourself when you achieve them to help boost your self-esteem and motivate yourself.
Remember that self-care is so important for your overall well-being and it's your right to practice it daily to take care of yourself. Develop a routine which you can easily work into your life to start prioritising you, because taking care of your well-being isn't selfish. Creating this balance in your life will help improve your moods, motivation, emotional, physical and mental health. Be mindful of your thoughts and feelings and never be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
