You know, self-care isn’t just about going on spa getaways or just to random places like the beach or park, but it’s more about rejuvenating your physical and mental health to keep its positive stance. While these trips could be great steppingstones too, but it’s more than just feeling good, it’s about establishing a solid foundation that allows you, in your entirety, to pursue what it is that makes you satisfied and happy. I’ve learned the hard way that the best way, honestly, to improve your life is to focus on yourself and prioritize your well-being above anything else—as long as it does not affect the people around you in a bad light.
First, you should prioritize holistic care. This can be done by not only taking one part of your body, but in its entirety—spirit, body, and mind—and though it is not always easy, you need this to attain a fulfilling life. Self-care is not also about spending more money than you already have, while these things could definitely add to your self-care routine, this is unnecessary. It is simply just taking care of yourself—like reading a book, watching that most-awaited season of your favorite television series, listening to your go-to playlist, eating ice cream, or napping somewhere peaceful inside your home are sure-ball ways to do this. It is also important to consider nurturing all parts, while making sure that you stress levels are maintained. Trust me that if you do this every single day, you’ll reap the rewards.
Second, make sure to have you own go-to self-care habits. For years now, I have been mixing and matching self-care routine practices and to be honest, it changes from time-to-time; so, I think it’s best for me to share my always-on-the-list tips. Here they are:
Find your Flow.
There is nothing in this life that gives it meaning but passion. It’s that one thing that pushes us to do things that we don’t even think possible at first—whether its writing, video editing, graphic design, or knitting, if you are passionate about it, you’ll definitely set aside a time to do it (sometimes even more). I found that if you feel very much engaged in activities, you become more in tune with yourself and your mind actually frees itself, making it very contented. I believe that the more you feel your purpose in life or when you feel happy, the more it helps you become more confident and less scared about what life may throw at you—even prepared to fight any challenges that may come your way.
Stay away from Technology (well, from time-to-time).
Whenever I am on my phone, it’s easy for me to lose track of time, especially when I start scrolling through the sea of videos that I, well, handpicked for myself because of algorithms. Despite knowing that too much screen time can leave you drained and disconnected from the world you literally live in, you just can’t stop scrolling—actually you scroll some more. While it’s hard to disconnect during this high time, try to unplug for a moment—this reconnects you to the real world, especially to the people who matter the most. It’s challenging at first, that’s for sure, but it’s been proven time-and-time again that associating with people enables us to be present. More than this, it calms our mind and even improves our mood, further making us grounded to the world.
Reevaluate your Environment
I think we can all agree that not all relationships that you ever had or have at the moment are healthy. And you know what, it’s okay. If spending time with a circle of friends who make you feel insecure or unhappy, I think it’s time to think about yourself and assess if being in the group is still the best decision. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that surrounding yourself with people who constantly pushes and uplifts you in anything that you do, including those who supports your growth in whatever aspect of your life. Real friends stay with us no matter the situation and do not judge us even if we make mistakes (which are totally normal, by the way).
Apart from this, seeking out positive people is also crucial for taking care of yourself, particularly your mental health. We all know that happiness is contagious so if we have people who brings us this, we will definitely feel fulfilled. This is why personally I always ensure that I have my people, those who I makes me feel happy, especially when I am undergoing some personal issue. I found that if I have those people around, I will feel invincible, ready to face any challenge that will be thrown at me.
Relax, Exercise, and Rest/Sleep.
The holy trinity of self-care, in my opinion, well for me especially. Nothing beats personal relaxation, particularly when we treat ourselves to a spa or massage day; but it shouldn’t necessarily require for us to spend much, simple those simple ones make a big difference. One thing that I also do to relax is spend some of my time in nature—and that doesn’t mean that I need to go on a hike or go big with being in nature, I just sit by the window with some indoor plants. This may seem minor but it definitely brings some sense of peace and calmness, which not only boosts brain functions, but makes us feel connected with our world.
Besides from ensuring that I take ample breaks to recharge my spirit, sleeping is also something I would not trade for anything. It’s easy to not sleep these days as people thinks they’ll lose time for work if they go to dreamland, but the opposite is actually true. It diminishes your work pace and makes you unproductive after some time. I used to do this, sacrifice my sleep in exchange for work, and trust when I say that it’s counterproductive as opposed to me getting 7-8 hours of sleep before starting the day again. We should always take care of our mental health for our brain once it shuts down, all of this will be for nothing.
Ensuring that we allot time for physical activity is important. Whether it’s simply dancing alone to your favorite pop song over the radio or taking a walk around the house or your workplace means a lot for your well-being. It’s an instant mood booster and something that we should not take for granted, especially that these days are actually harder than what we had before.
Ask for Help When you Need to.
“No man is an island.” We know this quote all too well and it’s always the go-to statement whenever the topic shifts to “help.” This is because there are those who tries their best to do things alone, and while it is commendable, it’s just very hard to do, especially if the burden is too big to carry. Reaching out for help and support, especially when you are struggling too hard, is not frowned upon as opposed to what others may think. Just think about this, reaching out for advice actually enables us to see things on a new perspective, which eventually helps us make better decisions. I always tell this to my friends, or my family members, while stress or any issue you may feel right now may not immediately go away, knowing that there are those who are willing to brace the storms with is solution enough.
Self-care, as I reiterate, is something that takes some time to make effective—it just does not happen overnight, it just not. Just like how it took me some time to figure out the perfect blend of self-care routine for myself, this may also be the case for you; but hey, it’s all good as you will definitely get there. And whether you finally begin to commit to self-care, the results are like a domino effect—not just for you self-care but also for those people around you.
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