Practising self-care is crucial for everyone, even more so if you live with chronic or mental illness. Finding time to look after yourself and nourish your body and mind is often challenging but always essential. Doing so regularly will hopefully help you manage physical or mental health conditions.
Check out these simple things you can do to practice self-care.
1. Keep a list of accomplishments for each day to help you
reflect on what you should feel proud of. If getting out of bed that day was
difficult, it was an accomplishment. It is down in what we haven't done that
day, but we should focus on what we did well.
2. Tidy, clean, or reorganize a drawer, cupboard, space,
etc. Getting something organized can feel therapeutic, and it could be
something small like a drawer in your desk, the clothes in your wardrobe or
your whole spare room at home. Just take your time and don't overdo it. You
should feel accomplished and have a sense of control after finishing.
3. Schedule a regular phone call with a friend or family to
catch up and chat about whatever comes to mind. A weekly half-hour phone
conversation with a friend can help combat feelings of loneliness and stress,
and in our busy world, it can sometimes feel challenging to keep up with and in
touch with those we love. Making it part of your routine can help, and you
should start looking forward to it.
4. Have a duvet day. Grab your duvet, snacks and drinks and
snuggle into the sofa with books, DVDs and a cuddly toy or your other half.
5. Take a bath.
I love a good bubble bath, but I also like an Epsom salt
bath or
Natural Dead Sea Bath Salts to help me relax and recharge. Lighting some
candles and putting on some relaxing music while you relax should help, too.
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6. Fix a minor annoyance at home that's been bugging you,
such as a missing button, a broken door handle, a light bulb that's gone, a
picture that needs hanging, etc.
7. Try meditation. It can help you feel back in touch with
yourself and ease stress.
8. Unplug yourself for an hour or even a day. Switch off
phones, computers, the TV, social media, etc.
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9. While we're on social media, edit your feeds on Facebook
and Instagram, for example, and take out any negative people or sources. If you
don't want to unfriend, unfollow, or delete them, you can hide their posts from
showing up on your feed.
10. Consider removing Toxic Friendships/Relationships
or energy stealers from your life. They're not good for your mental or
physical health; even if they're family, you shouldn't feel bad about removing
them from your life or limiting contact for your health and well-being. Life is
too short of having people who bring you down in your life.
11. Try a massage. You could go to a masseuse, ask your other half to give you a leg or back massage or even have a go on yourself. YouTube has helpful videos on giving a hand, neck, head, leg and feet massages which you could do yourself. They can be super de-stressing, help you get ready for sleep and feel rejuvenated.
12. Read a book. Reading is well known to be relaxing and an
escape from reality.
13. There isn't a mood that music can't elevate; make a
playlist of songs that motivate you and give positive vibes and play it when
you're feeling particularly low, stressed out or in need of some good tunes.
Good singing or even boogieing can raise feel-good chemical levels and lift
spirits.
14. Give yoga a go. Just like meditation, it can be suitable
for stress levels and even be practised in the comfort of your home if you
don't feel ready to take a class; YouTube has helpful videos To help you ease into
it.
15. Try cooking a new meal. Something healthy and wholesome. Pick up a cookbook or check out youtube for some tasty tutorials online. It's essential to give your body what it needs and eat well. If you take time to prepare something, your body will thank you for it.
16. Find something that makes you laugh: a comic series,
your favourite TV show or even some old photos and memories. Laughing is a
potent mechanism.
17. Do something crafty. Make a card for an upcoming
friend's birthday, create a pin board or Vision
Board, or take a look at Pinterest; there's bound to be something for
everyone or visit a hobby/craft store for inspiration.
Is there anything else you would add to this list?
Please
share in the comments below.
❖
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