8 Self Care Tips You Should Practice Often

The concept of taking care of yourself is in our faces daily, from the books we read to the ads on the radio, to what we see on TV, and quotes on social media but do we really remember to take care of ourselves? When was the last time you took care of yourself? If you have to think to answer then clearly you aren’t. To help you, I compiled a list of simple self-care ideas you can adopt.

1. Have A Bath: This seems like something so easy to do but it is often ignored. Our schedules or routines limit us to five minutes in the shower and we rarely have a bath. Plan to have a bath in your free time this week, put it in your calendar if you have to. You will be surprised by what a simple bath can do to elevate your mood and make you feel good.

2. Get Outside/Go For A Walk: Go outside, inhale the air, be present with the moment, relax, let go and appreciate nature. Take a walk, articulate your thoughts and spend some time with yourself.  Walking is therapy for me as much as writing is and whenever I need to breathe, I go for a walk. It really helps.

3. Drink Water: Water is the body’s most essential nutrient and it does so many amazing things for the body which include; aiding digestion, flushing out toxins, and boosting the immune system. Start your day with a glass of water and try to drink five cups every day. When you drink enough water, you are taking care of your body.

4. Listen To Music: Turn off the TV and play some music instead.  Listening to music helps to distress and reduces the release of cortisol. To feel the effects better, listen to music with your earphones because that is the best way to really hear a song. Let the lyrics of the song take you away to a better place.

5: Have A Yoga Session At Home:  You don’t need to be an expert to practice yoga and there are a lot of videos and images online to get you started. Yoga is a good way to release and take care of yourself because it helps to reduce stress, it induces happiness, makes you more mindful, and it also improves your breathing.

6. Journaling: The simple act of writing one’s feelings in a book helps to clear the mind and puts things in perspective. Your thoughts are valid and penning them down helps to evoke mindfulness, achieve your goals and leaves you fulfilled.

7. Aromatherapy: Light some candles or diffuse some essential oils to ease up your day and make you relax. Asides from the pleasant smell, aromatherapy helps to manage pain, improve sleep and reduce stress. There are different types of essential oils that serve different purposes. For instance, peppermint oil relieves headaches and boosts energy. Lavender oil and chamomile oil aid relaxation and induce sleep.

8. Catch Up On Sleep: Is there anything like too much sleep? once I have some free time, I always add sleep to the agenda. As adults, our schedules are so busy that we barely get six hours of sleep every night. So when you have a day off, catch up on some sleep because everything can wait. I know I feel refreshed and ready to take on the world after a power nap and you will too.

The truth about life is that it will continue even when you are no longer here. It is really hard to focus on self but one has to for overall emotional well-being and happiness.

Mariam Shittu