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A self-care1 regimen is highly essential to living a happy life. People who fail to establish a self-care routine typically experience more stress as they tend to be overworked without having an outlet for the negative energies they are experiencing.
Self-care may come in the forms of exercise, communicating with a friend, starting a new hobby, cooking, or anything that makes you feel happy and relaxed. Something that doesn’t make you feel like you’re finishing a chore you didn’t like to do in the first place.
Also, it does not only mean eating good food, but it could be about learning how to process your feelings, taking a good rest, learning proper ways how you could get yourself insured, or practicing mindfulness meditation2. Though self-care may vary for each person, here are five ways you could do it if you want to start investing in yourself.
Get Insured
Getting insurance is one of the greatest investments you could make for yourself and your family. Every day is not guaranteed for everyone as you are never sure when your last days on Earth will be or what the future holds. In this sense, getting insured protects you and your family, especially in financial aspects, if something bad happens to you, like being in an accident.
Not to mention, insurance is not only applied in the medical aspect as there is also insurance for properties like houses and cars. For instance, if your vehicle were damaged in a road accident, you wouldn’t have to be burdened by the thought of paying high bills because you signed up for car insurance. This way, it provides you peace of mind and less stress, which could be a form of self-care.
If you’re thinking of buying insurance, prioritize getting medical insurance first, as hospitalization tends to be too expensive. However, beware of health insurance scams and do your research before purchasing a policy. Getting mixed up with fraudulent insurance policies is not only detrimental to your finances but also to your mental health and well-being.
Start Reading A Book
Whether you’re a bookworm or not, reading is something you should try. With a simple visit to a library, you could have tons of options to choose from. But if you’re not fond of reading in public places, consider purchasing books in different genres to help you identify the types of books you enjoy reading and read them while relishing your personal space at home.
Reading could bring many benefits to a person, like improving your memory, expanding your vocabulary3, and allowing your imagination to be active. You can also gain many insights from reading books and life lessons you could apply in your life. Not to mention, there are a lot of self-help, motivational, fiction, and various types of books that could help you in your state if you’re going through a problem.
Eat Right, Eat Healthily
Eating right is one of the best investments that you can make. If you consume food with good nutritional content, you will have a stronger immune system and will not be prone to various illnesses. In this sense, you can live a more comfortable and happier life.
Typically, if you eat on time and consume the right foods, it could help improve your focus and provide you with the energy you need each day to be productive. You will even be healthier if you could match good healthy habits with daily exercise. Meanwhile, skipping meals could lead to major consequences like suffering from stomach ulcers, which are diagnosed in patients who skip meals and don’t eat the right kinds of foods.
Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in moderation. Remember that it’s good to invest in healthy foods because they tend to be less expensive. With this, you’re also investing in your health.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is essential to a person’s overall well-being. Some people tend to sacrifice their sleep over things like work, but if a person continues to work without enough sleep, it may cause their immune system to weaken.
When stress and lack of sleep are combined, it will never be a good match. These two factors could cause death if a person doesn’t do anything to improve their lifestyle. If you’re having difficulty getting enough sleep, try going to bed early and turn off all your gadgets at least an hour before bedtime.
Try making your room a quiet space to allow you to sleep better. Turning off your lights or having a small lamp could also help create a difference in your sleeping routine. These tricks may not work on the first few nights, but try to be consistent and observe if your sleeping schedule improves.
Take A Pause
Taking a breather allows you to appreciate the things around you. It gives you time to reflect, observe and process your emotions. When you’re in a stressful state, pause and have a few minutes for yourself to focus on your breathing.
A few breathing exercises are an excellent self-care technique to allow you to think rationally and function better when you’re in a problematic state. Also, it helps you to prevent being impulsive4, enabling you to weigh the pros and cons of every decision you make.
Final Thoughts
With the high demand for work in companies and even schools nowadays, it would be hard to take a pause and give yourself time. But, it is also during this time that you should take more time to take care of your body because if you don’t, you might not like the consequences that come with it. Give a little time to yourself, and you’ll be shocked at how your mood and behavior will improve.
- Riegel, Barbara, et al. “Self-care research: where are we now? Where are we going?.” International journal of nursing studies 116 (2021): 103402. ↩︎
- Farias, Miguel, et al. “Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation‐based therapies: a systematic review.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 142.5 (2020): 374-393. ↩︎
- Schmitt, Norbert, and Diane Schmitt. Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge university press, 2020. ↩︎
- Mirabella, Giovanni. “Inhibitory control and impulsive responses in neurodevelopmental disorders.” Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 63.5 (2021): 520-526. ↩︎
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