Guest Post by: Amanda Turner
In the chaos of our day-to-day lives, it can prove to be difficult to prioritize taking care of yourself. This epidemic transcends all personality types. Whether you are a busy mom, as a struggling college graduate, or a business professional, self-care tends to fall to the wayside in lieu of taking care of what is considered “more pressing matters”. This problem tends to catch up to us, however, in the form of anxiety, not being able to sleep well, and health issues like high blood pressure. If you are ready to start taking back your health, here are a few tips on how to prioritize self-care.
Consider Your Language
We tend to put ourselves down without even realizing what we’re saying to ourselves. Try and experiment with yourself for a day. Think about every thought you say to yourself throughout the day, especially when things don’t go the way you want. What do you say to yourself? Do you call yourself names? Do you beat yourself up? All that subconscious negative energy brings you down with each passing hour. Replace that verbiage with positive affirmations, similar to what you would say if your friend or family member is beating themselves up over something.
Take it Slow
Waking up, guzzling down a pot of coffee, and rushing out the door is no way to experience life. Do you find yourself rushing through tasks, yet still feeling like you don’t have the time to complete everything? Keep this mantra in mind—the work will still be there tomorrow. Allow yourself to slow down, take time to breathe, to taste your coffee, to learn from the tasks to accomplish at work. This will help you stay more in the moment and will actually have some health benefits to enjoy as well. Studies have shown that eating slower helps you lose weight faster, helps maintain blood pressure, and lowers stress and anxiety.
Take in Your Surroundings
Do you ever just look around to check out things that need to get done at home? There’s no better time than the present to reflect on your surroundings and how they’re supporting you and your health. For example, pay attention to things like how a dirty air filter might be affecting your health and take action by calling a repairman to check it out. You can significantly improve your life by taking time to simply notice the details and getting picky about things you’d usually ignore.
Get Off Social Media
While there’s nothing wrong with hopping on social media a couple of times a day to keep in touch with friends and family, it should never replace seeing loved ones in person, nor should it keep you up at night and give you a sense of “fear of missing out”. Use social media strategically and if you struggle feeling left out, reach out to your support system and enjoy some face-to-face interaction.
Add Yourself to Your Priority List
Take a look at your to-do list. Do any of the tasks include self-care? Taking care of yourself is a priority and should always be considered as such. If you find yourself feeling like you don’t have enough time, organize your list by priority and make sure that you are at the top of that list. There’s nothing wrong with leaving the dishes for tomorrow morning so you can take the time to practice self-care.
About The Author: Amanda Turner is a freelance writer and recent graduate from North Carolina. She is passionate about helping people live their fullest life and her hope is to make a difference through her writing.