Regardless of what challenges you have in your life, self care should be a priority. Practicing self care will help you get the most out of your home and work responsibilities, and it will help you enjoy some “me” time. The latter is essential because it allows you to enjoy a life of balance so you don’t experience stress and little else. Stress can lead to a variety of mental disorders as well as physical ailments such as tense muscles, increased blood pressure and increased cortisol levels.
These helpful tips will help you take care of yourself in 2020.
Deep Breaths
It’s especially important to take advantage of relaxation exercises that you can do at any time and in any place. Perhaps you just learned that your workload has increased tremendously or your car broke down, and you’re not sure what’s wrong with it or what will need to go into fixing it. Or maybe you’re experiencing a rising sense of panic that doesn’t appear to be related to anything that you can pinpoint. Take a deep breath, if you can. In some situations, you may even find that difficult. If that’s the case, take advantage of breathing exercises that are specific to those trying circumstances.
Exercise
The type and intensity of exercise that will help you improve your mood and get into better shape without overworking yourself varies a bit from individual to individual. However, you should experiment to see what works best for you. If you’re currently pretty sedentary, start heading out on regular walks, but be careful to not overdo it. If you’re already somewhat active, add to it here and there, doing things such as taking the stairs when an easier option is available and walking somewhere instead of driving or catching public transportation. Also note that simply being in natural environments, in green spaces, has been shown to improve mental health.
Massages
One of the best ways to engage in self care is to take advantage of massage therapy. The benefits of massage therapy are numerous. They’ve been shown to decrease headaches and anxiety as well as loosen muscles and help you recover from muscle tightness or injury. Massages tend to also provide a sense of peace and comfort that is difficult to replicate with other activities. How often should you get a massage? It depends on a number of factors, but between once a week and once a month is generally encouraged.
Organization
Dedicate time to getting your life organized. This is especially recommended if you’re excessively busy, but everybody can enjoy benefits from this activity. One of the most significant ones is being able to access important information more quickly. Another, perhaps even more significant, is starting to experience a greater sense of control over your life. With organization comes the ability to feel like you can handle what you have in front of you. This is greatly preferred over feeling overwhelmed by everything, unsure how you’re going to get it all done. Of course, you want to save some aspects of your life for surprise and adventure, but organize enough of it to feel a sense of peace.
Finances
Connected with organization is living within your means. First, you should budget for “fun” things and even have a part of your budget that’s set aside for unexpected expenses, both necessary ones such as sudden car repair costs as well as impulse buys such as that book on self care that you saw or heading for an unplanned night out at the end of a long day. But you do need to also ensure that you don’t go over your budget. Estimate as accurately as possible how much food you need to purchase, how much gas you must fill your car with and all of your must-have expenses and go from there.
Nutrition
What you put in your body is incredibly important to your health, both mentally and physically. Foods laden with sugar have been shown to decrease a person’s ability to focus and result in a crash after an all-too-short high. The physical effects of poor nutrition include unhealthy weight and increased chances of contracting cancer, diabetes and heart disease. However, don’t think about those. Consider all of the benefits of good nutrition instead. If you eat and drink nutritiously, you get to enjoy a sharper mind as it relates to home and work, you’ll generally be in a better mood, and the physical elements of your body will appreciate it too.
Spa
Spa treatments are one of the best things that you can do for yourself. These do involve massages, of course, but they can involve so much more than that too. One option is cupping therapy, which is essentially the opposite of a massage in that your body tissue is being pulled up, not pushed down. Cupping therapy helps increase blood flow to those areas. Another is herbal foot treatment. This involves soaking your feet in Himalayan salt in order to remove your body’s toxins. Also consider a Vichy shower, otherwise known as a table shower. It gives a sense of experiencing a gentle rainstorm and helps create a sense of peace while also serving as a massage, of sorts, in that the water’s doing the massaging.
If you are striving for better self care in 2020 and would like to take advantage of some of these treatments or massage therapy, we at Qi Massage & Natural Healing Spa are ready to take care of you. Schedule an appointment with us today so that you can start enjoying these self care experiences.
