Self-Care: The Importance Of Prioritising Yourself

What exactly is self-care? It's a term we hear often, but not everyone understands what it truly means or how to effectively practice it. Self-care means making the time to do things that make you feel good, happy, and positive. It's about promoting your physical, emotional, and social well-being.

Let's break that down a bit more. self-care can fall into many categories but broadly speaking, self-care can fit into three groups; physical, social, and emotional.

Physical Self-Care Physical self-care involves actions that make us feel happy and healthy. It's about taking care of your body in a way that promotes overall well-being. This could be through diet, exercise, or even just taking the time to rest and relax. A perfect illustration of this is running. Exercise is good for overall physical health and has been shown to increase dopamine, the "happy hormones", contributing to our emotional well-being as well.

Social Self-Care Social self-care focuses on building and maintaining positive relationships and meaningful connections with others. Our interactions with others can greatly impact our mental and emotional health, making this aspect of self-care incredibly important. For example, joining a running group could fall under this category. You get the physical benefits of exercise, but also the social benefits of interacting with like-minded individuals.

Emotional Self-Care Emotional self-care involves actions that make us feel relaxed and calm, helping to boost our dopamine levels. This could involve activities like meditation, journaling, or simply taking a few moments each day to check in with your feelings.

Implementing Self-Care With the hustle and bustle of everyday life - going to work, caring for family, attending school - it's easy to forget about looking after ourselves. We may view self-care as a luxury, like holidays or nights out, something that is a treat or indulgence rather than an essential part of everyday life, like brushing our teeth. But self-care doesn't have to come with a hefty price tag. It could be as simple as setting time aside to read, relaxing in the bath, talking to friends or family, eating healthily, or going to bed at a decent time.

It's important to remember that not having a balanced self-care routine can impact other aspects of your wellbeing. For instance, spending too much time going out drinking alcohol with friends might be viewed as social self-care, but it could be negatively impacting your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. It's crucial to remember that practicing self-care isn't a selfish act. You might feel guilty or selfish for prioritising yourself, but self-care isn't about putting ourselves above others. It's about acknowledging that we are all worthy and therefore entitled to take part in things that make our bodies and minds feel good.

So, go ahead, make self-care an integral part of your daily routine, and prioritise yourself. You deserve it!

By KyAnn Wellbeing