Self-care doesn’t mean face masks, Netflix binges, or pedicures. Self-care begins with being aware of your needs and learning how to prioritize them.
Self-care shouldn’t be a luxury. It’s a must, and should be part of your daily life.
Why Self-Care is Important
Why is it so important to prioritise self-care? This metaphor will help you put things into perspective.
Your energy is similar to water in a bucket. You will run out of water if you keep pouring out things without refilling the bucket.
You can be drained by any kind of stress or responsibility.
Prioritizing your mental health can help you maintain the energy you need to accomplish what you want to. Prioritizing your mental health can seem counterintuitive if the bar is set high for performance and productivity. Those who take breaks are more productive.
You will perform better at the office and be more pleasant at home if you take care of yourself.
It’s important to determine what will fill your bucket again, and then do these things.
Prioritizing your mental health and self-care
Block off time for self-care on your calendar. Even if only 15 minutes. Self-care is important!
It’s smart to start small. Start small. Make promises to yourself. For example, I will meditate for 5 minutes each morning and walk 15 minutes during my lunch hour every day.
Some people prefer the morning, before their children wake up. This also sets the tone for your entire day. Others may choose to do it in the afternoon or evening.
What is realistic and best for you?
Related: Why Mental Health and How Might You Really focus on It?
How to balance work and self-care
It is possible!
These tips will help you balance work with self-care.
1. Say “no”, when you need to
You don’t have to do everything. Saying no is a good thing, especially if you don’t want to do what is being asked.
2. Concentrate on what you have control over
Do not worry about things that are out of your control. Do your best to control what you can.
You can choose to let things go that you cannot control.
3. Create systems
Automate tasks to simplify your life. Use the same weekly shopping list. On certain days, eat the same meal. Automate your digital life with IFTTT. Stick to a schedule, both at work and in your personal life.
This will reduce your stress and save you time. It reduces stress, and you save time.
4. Do not cross boundaries
Work-life boundaries should be clearly defined. When you are not working, turn off all notifications. At the end of your workday, turn off your computer. Do not look at your smartphone until the start of your workday.
You should also set boundaries with your loved ones. Talk to your family members about the issues. It’s important to express your feelings. You don’t have to live your life based on other people’s attitudes and opinions.
5. Perfectionism is not a good thing
Perfect is not possible. You can aim for accuracy. Decide what you consider good enough.
Try the 80-20 Rule. If you feel a project has 80% of its potential, it may be good enough for us high achievers to consider it completed.
This rule may not be applicable for very important tasks. This is a good guideline for cleaning, or other smaller tasks.
Don’t beat yourself up if you fall short or receive some constructive criticism. We’re all learning and growing.
6. Do not overcommit
Prioritize the three most important tasks that you must accomplish in a day. Concentrate on these three things. Do the hardest thing first.
Stress is added by overcommitting.
7. You should be mindful of the way you speak to yourself
All of us have negative thoughts. You can control your thoughts.
Stop thinking, “I can’t do this”, “I’m not good enough”, etc. and replace the thought with something you know to be true. If you’re about to take on a large project, you might think “This is way too big for me… I can’t do it on time.” Instead, remind yourself all the times that you completed projects on schedule. Tell yourself, “I’ve proven that I can meet deadlines.” “I will do it again!”
Meditation and therapy can help you to train your brain and develop a more positive way of thinking.
Self-care Ideas That You Can Use Today
Take some time to reflect on what you do for energy. If you like to do this, look into your personality traits. You can look back at your life to see when you were the most calm and/or energized.
Self-love is a practice that you can do by asking yourself what it is that you need now.
Self-care can be a way to express feelings and emotions. This could be a time of social interaction or completely alone.
You can practice self-care by focusing on yourself (by reflecting on your emotions) or others (by admiring nature, for example).
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