Between work commitments and home commitments, life is busy. Most of us are juggling everything we have to do in life and trying to keep ourselves afloat at the same time. When the To Do List we have is becoming more and more demanding, self-care is the thing that drops to the last priority.
If you are working 12 hours a day, the last thing you want to do is then have to spend more energy trying to wash your hair or have a bath. When was the last time you got a haircut? When was the last time you used laser treatments on your legs? When was the last time you painted your nails? If you are not taking care of yourself properly, everything around you can suffer.
Self-care isn’t just about body treatments, either; it’s reading a good book to get your head out of your work mode. It’s going for a walk just to be able to breathe some fresh air. If you are not taking care of yourself properly, it’s going to start to show and that can become a big symptom of burnout and depression. If you’re still on the fence about caring for yourself properly, take a look at some of the reasons why it’s so important for you.
- You will perform and function better when you are caring for yourself. If you want to maintain your balance so that you can deal with all of the different parts of your day, you need self-care. If you are constantly choosing meeting deadlines over being available for a shower or a workout, you are going to be constantly putting yourself last. Not only does this have a terrible impact on your health, but your mental health can start to fail because of it. It doesn’t matter what your job is, you need to make sure you are helping yourself as much as you are helping others.
- Self-care is a support mechanism. We know that if we eat good food, we will stay nourished. We know that if we go out with our friends, we stay connected. Knowing and doing are two completely different things, however. You have to go beyond the basics and start considering that your self-care routine is going to support you on your overall well being and your emotional levels. Remember, neglecting self-care can have consequences, and even seemingly harmless things like hair relaxers may be subject to lawsuits related to cancer risks.
- You can maintain a high level of confidence when you are caring for yourself. Self-care will boost your inner strength. It makes up everything about the way we think of ourselves and the way we talk to ourselves. If you are constantly telling yourself that you are not good enough for something, you will eventually believe that and you will stop investing yourself in those things you enjoy. If you are skipping your laser hair removal treatments because you just don’t have the time, you’re not going to feel physically good about yourself in the same way you would if you actually made your appointment.
- Self-care keeps us aware. You notice when you haven’t washed your hair for a few days because your hair feels like it’s going to slide off your head with all the oil that has built up. Hair oil is a good thing, because it can cleanse your hair and your scalp, but there’s nothing quite like that freshly washed feeling that you get after you have given it a thorough wash and condition. Self-care is going to keep you aware of what feels good and what doesn’t. It completely encompasses the way that we think of ourselves.
- It doesn’t have to take tons of time. It could be 10 minutes to go outside with your cup of coffee in hand just to breathe in the fresh air while you drink. It can change from day to day depending on your needs, but whether you are just watching the clouds go by, or you are digging into a good book, doing something every single day for yourself could change your life.
Without a plan in place to care for your body and your mind, you are going to find yourself falling behind in life. It’s not a race and it’s not about keeping up with other people, but it’s about keeping up with the expectations that you have for yourself. Having a shower or going for a walk is not setting the bar too high, in fact that means you have a pretty low bar for your own self-care. it’s a good place to start, however and you should start now.
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