By: Mucci Watson
I never knew how important self-care was until I found myself getting angry about the smallest things that I had absolutely NO control over. Self-Care is the idea of YOU taking an vital role in preserving your own well-being and happiness, especially when you are going through periods of stress.
Self-Care is one of those things that are extremely critical for your health, its critical for your health because if you are not taking care of yourself to be the BEST YOU you can't do your job, you can't help and care for others, and you can't do the everyday errands you need to do to be able to say you accomplished everything you need to do in one day.
Self-Care is a genius answer to help you deal with those daily stressors:
- Caring for a child
- Commuting between work and home or work and school
- Bills
- Traffic
- Work Drama
- Unexpected events
- Lose of a job
- Chronic Illness or Injury
- Emotional problems
- Death of a loved one
Daily stressors can hit you at the most random times especially when you think everything is going right, then BOOM! there's a problem that you don't know how to deal with so you put all the stress on yourself causing you to have a mental breakdown. We move so fast through life that we forget to take care of ourselves so we can deal with those stressors. I'm here to share with you 10 ways I use to practice self care when dealing with stressors.
- Take a break from social Media
- Social media is one of the biggest stressors we come across because when we're on there it takes up most of our time from things such as: sleeping, moving around, more time to learn about yourself, and also connecting with more people face-to-face. Sometimes when I take a break from social media, I give myself a 30-day challenge where I deactivate all my social media for 30 days to accomplish either short-term or long-term goals. I challenge you to do it!
- Go to bed early
- This is the absolute hardest thing for me to do because I'm a night owl and I usually get about 4 hours of sleep a day because I'm constantly trying to do so many things in one day. I suggest that going to bed early at least twice a week working your way up will improve your quality of health because it is suggested 8 hours of sleep will help your body and brain function properly.
- Take care of your skin (wash your face, exfoliate, and use moisturizers)
- Taking care of your skin is so relaxing and one of my most favorite things to do everyday because we are shedding skin cells daily, so its important to keep it in good condition. I myself wake up every morning with a facial cleaner, a toner, a lip scrub, a moisturizer and oil and end with a facial mist. I repeat this same routine at night and I get a professional facial once a month. It sounds like a lot but its so needed when you are stressed.
- Clean your whole house and turn on your essential oil diffuser followed by candles and music
- Cleaning your house with a oil diffuser is so needed, oil diffusers can relieve pain, cramping, and improve respiratory health. Having a clean space lowers your stress and fatigue, lessens the spread of germs, helps you sleep better, helps you be more productive and lastly its a quick workout! who doesn't need that?
- Put your phone on DND (Do Not Disturb)
- This is one of my favorites! No lie my phone stays on DND 24/7, I had to teach myself that not everyone deserves access to me when they want, but on my own time. Yes, I look and see who has called or text me but I don't hear that ringtone or beep when someone is trying to reach me because that sound to me irritates me and I respond to who I want to respond to. Having a piece of mind and exploring being with myself is most important to me as I've gotten older and if you learn that now it'll make life so much more stress free.
- Make a list of 5 things you are grateful for
- I actually got this idea from my cousin and I have a gratitude journal where I document 5 things I am grateful for everyday. Documenting what you are grateful for increases positivity, it can make you more optimistic because you are choosing to be more positive versus being negative all the time.
- Meditate
- I try to meditate at least 10 minutes in the morning before I get dressed for work. Meditation is easy and reduces: stress, anxiety, pain, and depressions but also increases: focus, creativity, and memory. You can mediate by finding a designated area in your house, sit in the Indian style position, close your eyes, set a timer and focus on your breathing for 5-10 minutes. You should try it work your way into listening to podcast or affirmations while meditating.
- Sip on hot water/green tea with lemon
- This tip is a great way to stay hydrated. Lemon is a great source of vitamin-C, which has several health benefits: helps manage blood pressure, reduces inflammation, helps with better skin aging, and helps preventing in iron deficiency. Green tea improves brain function, reduce bad breath, can help you lose weight and skin inflammation.
- Enjoy a glass of wine
- I have a glass of wine and sit in front of the TV watching my favorite shows/movies. There is nothing like relaxing and treating yourself!
- Take a long bath!
- Baths are so essential when you are having such a demanding day, taking a long bath can elevate your mood, relieve muscle pain, soothe irritated skin and help you sleep better especially when you use Dr. Teals Foaming Bath with Pure Epsom Salt.
All in all, practicing self-care doesn't mean you are necessarily choosing yourself over anyone, it means you are taking care of your needs FIRST before you are able to support and help anyone else. It is vital we take care of ourselves when we are stressed because if we ignore it, we deepen the stress levels and make it worse.
So when you are going through those day to day stressors, ask yourself am I practicing self care the way I need to? and take a look at my 10 tips to practice self care and figure out which ones would be good for you.
Links to my exact products used:
I'm off like a dirty shirt,
Mucci
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