When life gets busy it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself and you might start to recognise the signs of feeling anxious and overwhelmed by even the simplest tasks. It might be that you need to step back from everyday life and allow yourself the time and space to practice self-care; some people might confuse this practice with self-indulgence but it is a necessity to balance the mind, body and spirit both physically and mentally, ensuring that you are functioning at optimal levels and taking care of your long-term health.
Get enough sleep
Getting consistent and high-quality sleep can improve all aspects of your health. You may not realize it, but the amount and quality of sleep you get each night can impact the way your immune system functions, your mood and much more!
Healthy diet
You may be familiar with the saying “you are what you eat”. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is one of the core elements of self-care as our bodies need sufficient nutrients and hydration to exist and our daily food choices can affect our overall health and wellbeing - both in the short and long term.
Surround Yourself With People You Love
Often, it's hard to make time for friends and it's easy to neglect your relationships when life gets busy but it’s important to nurture your relationships with friends and family and allow yourself to create a support system to help you out of the darker times.
Get moving
Whether it’s a light jog, yoga class, an aerobics class, a walk with a friend or simply just a dance around the kitchen, movement and exercise have been proven to release endorphins, feel-good chemicals that can help to reduce stress and anxiety, increase happiness and energy, improve mood, boost self-esteem and improve sleep.
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is an immensely powerful force that we can use in the simplest of ways to expand our happiness and cultivate loving relationships, it can even improve our health, both mental and physical. A gratitude practice can be as simple as stopping to count your blessings, keeping a gratitude journal, writing a thank you note and more.