Caring for yourself requires more than just staying active and drinking enough water throughout the day. Taking care of yourself should not just focus on the physical side of things; mental well-being is just as important as physical health.
Without mental stability it won’t be possible to live life to the fullest. In a world with so much going on and so many pressures to stay ahead of the game, keeping this mental stability can be challenging to say the least. One of the best ways to achieve it is by practicing daily rituals of self-care. The reasons to promote self-care are too many to count; here’s how you can accomplish it.
Separate work from pleasure
This is a huge struggle that so many professionals face; completely letting go of work stresses and responsibilities isn’t always possible, especially when you are trying to build your career from the ground up. Even so, you need to do your best to airports guide work and home lives.
Even if you are feeling stressed about that big job interview and feel the need to keep studying up on situational interview question tips, just let it go for a bit while you enjoy dinner with the family or just spend time to relax. Work will still be there tomorrow, so put it aside for the evening while you focus on the things you enjoy.
Self-compassion is the key to self-care
Self-compassion is the concept of understanding that we can’t always be perfect. We let things slide for other people and learn to forgive another individual’s mistakes; we need to learn to do the same for ourselves. Nobody is a superhuman, so stop acting as if you are perfect and stop beating yourself up about the little things.
One source says that self-compassion “lets us flourish because it keeps us from assuming we’re superhumans or robots who can do far more than we’d expect anyone else to…this can be difficult because even when we can’t soldier on, we expect we should be able to.” Just as you experience compassion for others, the same should be done for yourself.
Find time for the things you love
Finding time is the challenge in this statement. If you have a hectic work schedule and demanding family life you might feel as if there are not enough hours in the day. Even with this feeling, you need to find time – even if it is just 15 or 30 minutes – to do something that makes you happy. Go for a walk, read free ebooks, drink a glass of Chardonnay, or even meditate if that is something you enjoy.
Move on from unhealthy relationships
Holding on to unhealthy ties could be keeping you from your fullest potential. Maybe you have friends who do more harm than good to your self-esteem. Or perhaps you have been trying to make a romantic relationship work to no avail. If a relationship in your life is keeping you from growing as a person, let it go.
