We know that we should look after ourselves. We know that it is important, but when we are trying to balance work life, home life, family life and our relationships it can be a difficult task. We always seem to put ourselves right at the bottom of the pile and then before we know it we have run ourselves ragged again and are struck down with the latest bug doing the rounds through sheer exhaustion. This is why today we want to share a few suggestions around how to take care of yourself, smaller bitesize chunks of things that you can fit into your life that will give you that all-important boost.
We would suggest that you start with just one or two ideas from the following suggestions as you are more likely to be able to build them into your busy life than trying to go for everything all in one go. As soon as one or two of them are ingrained habits, you could move on and try a few more.
Be honest with yourself
The first point we would make is that you need to be honest with yourself. You need to assess where you think you are today at looking after yourself and how healthy your body and mind are before you can begin to make any changes.
We are all human and we all struggle from time to time. Even the most optimistic and sunny people will have their bad days, it is perfectly normal. On top of everyday routines, life can get messy and difficult at times. You might be dealing with a bereavement, a redundancy or a contested divorce, and all can cause a lot of pain and stress and all will need you to take more care of yourself than usual.
Acknowledge where you are at the moment and be open with others about it. Ask for help when you need it as you know that you can be someone else’s rock when their time comes.
Begin with a few basics
Now to start making a few changes and looking after yourself better. We would suggest that you begin with a few basics as these are small things that can make a big difference.
Are you drinking plenty of water? We all know that we should and yet few of us really push hard to do this one. There are so many health benefits of drinking water that you should feel the effect of upping your intake after just a few days.
Are you getting enough sleep? We do all vary on how much sleep we need to function, but aim for an average of seven to eight hours each night. If you struggle with broken sleep, try to get an early night every week or so to help to refresh you.
Are you moving enough? It really does not matter how you choose to move, just move! You might love hitting the gym or trying new fitness classes, and if so, go for it. For some it can be a struggle to squeeze time into the day for fitness, so perhaps walking the dog more regularly, walking a little further on your daily commute or taking on a YouTube class at home will work?
Nourish your body
Some of us are brilliant at eating healthily all of the time, whilst for some this can be a real struggle. The best way to improve this is to think of all of the food that you eat as nourishing your body.
Think more deliberately about what you are choosing to put into your body. Is it adding important nutrients? Is it boosting your immune system? Is it giving you more energy?
You should be able to find a balance between your normal eating habits and injecting some better habits into them by doing this.
Do pay attention to your appearance
You know that when you feel good, you look good, and the same can often be applied vice versa. This is about you feeling good in your own skin, not about projecting a certain image to the outside world.
You might want to lose a few pounds or maybe you know you need to put a few on. You might want to tone up your body or you might want to up your cardiovascular workouts so that you feel fitter. Think about how you feel about your body now and then work out whether there is anything that you could do to make you feel great about it, if you don’t already.
You could give yourself a lift by having your hair restyled and colored, you could buy a few new items for your wardrobe or perhaps you need to refresh your makeup look. Have fun with this one, it should feel indulgent, not laborious.
Take a break
Is this one the hardest thing to do? Do you always feel the need to be productive every hour of the day? That to-do list does not tick itself, we understand. However, we all need to take a break from time to time. Those jobs will still be there in an hour or so, and you will feel so much more refreshed when you tackle them.
What do you love to do? What would you do if you were given an hour right now? Whatever is springing to mind, aim to do more of that.
You might want to catch up with a friend, you might be keen to cosy up with a good book, you might want to go for a hike in the great outdoors or maybe you will unwind with a feel-good movie.
We all need breaks like this. We need to unwind from day to day challenges, we need to enjoy ourselves and we need to switch off for a little while. Everyone can make time for themselves, it just takes some rejigging of our own sense of priorities in order to ensure that this happens. If you need to, write it on your to-do list, schedule it into a diary and then tick it off.