Self-care is an important habit everyone should have. It is an organized way of caring for yourself and your mental and emotional health. Self-care means taking care of YOU. You should love yourself and create time for yourself.
There is a thin line between self-care and self-love. Some people say you do not have to love yourself to exhibit self-care. Do you think that’s true? I can’t entirely agree with that because self-care goes beyond the basic care of the body. It has to do with your mental, emotional and physical health. Self-love drives self-care. There are a lot of people that lack self-love, and this reflects in how they take care of themselves. Self-love reduces the level of self-neglect. It helps you understand why self-care is important and why you should value yourself.
The body, mind and soul needs care to function well
It is hard to keep up with self-care when you do not love yourself. Self-care is not selfish. There is a misconception that self-care is selfish, which is far from the truth. Self-care is carried out without an intention to hurt or take from others. When your self-care is at the expense of others’ convenience, then that is being selfish. You are on the right track as long as all you do reflects the importance of self-care in your mental and physical health.
Many Nigerians, especially women, lack self-care, which is why you hear cases of women sticking to abusive marriages at the expense of their mental health.
YOU deserve better care
Mrs. Ogundele, 40, was in an abusive marriage with her childhood lover. They were married for twenty with two children, a boy, and a girl. Her husband abused her emotionally, mentally, and physically. She couldn’t leave the marriage because of her children. She was broken! One fateful evening, she argued with her husband. He got angry and hit her with the flower vase. She slumped. She was admitted to the hospital for a week. The doctor advised her to leave the marriage and make herself a priority. She listened to the doctor’s advice and left the marriage. She lived happily with her children without the normal abuse in her former marriage. Mrs. Ogundele prioritized self-care at the end when she noticed the disrespect. Many women go through this ordeal; this is why they should understand the importance of self-care. You can’t be helpful to others if you don’t create time to help yourself. This shows why self-care is important. The trauma those people suffered deduced the importance of self-care for mental and physical health.
Self-care is not as complex as many assume it is. The inculcation of healthy routines enhances and strengthens your mental health and general wellbeing. It would be best if you took it as a way of life, not something you do occasionally. Taking care of yourself is the best you can do for yourself and the people around you.
Table of Contents
Types Of Self-Care
Self-care is more than the basic body care routine taught in elementary schools, like taking your bath, brushing your teeth, etc. Self-care is unique to a person in the sense that the way you care for yourself or your self-care routine might be different from other people’s.
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Physical Self-Care
Yoga is a form of self-care
This talks about all self-care practices important to physical health. Adopting practices like exercising, yoga, adequate sleep, and a healthy diet can enhance physical and mental health. Physical self-care or self-care generally doesn’t have to be luxurious. You don’t have to spend so much money exercising or having a healthy meal. You can live the lifestyle if you are rich, but self-care should not be for only the rich.
Read Also: CREATING A SELF-CARE ROUTINE TO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE
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Spiritual Self-Care
These are routines that help build your spiritual life. This entails attending religious services, regular acts of kindness, helping the needy, meditating, and so on. Some people find joy in religion; if this will help your mental health go for it.
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Emotional Self-Care
Emotions also need care
Indulging in things that give you peace of mind and saying no to things that cause unnecessary stress. Stay away from people or things that disturb you emotionally. Try to create emotional balance in whatever you do so that it doesn’t affect your mental health.
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Psychological Self-Care
This can also be referred to as mental self-care. Do things that boost your mental health. For example, listen to music, read books and engage in fun activities. All the self-care categories affect mental health in one way or the other. This shows the importance of self-care for mental health.
There is no set method for self-care; you will always have to devise a plan for your life.
Self-Care Practices
- Exercise regularly
- Eat healthily
- Take care of the skin by using good body/ face creams, soaps, and so on
- Visit fun places
- Stay away from stressful activities
- Avoid toxic people
In essence, you can design whatever you think helps you mentally and physically.
10 Reasons Why Self-Care Is Important
1. Self-care Helps You Perform Optimally
Self-care boosts your performance
Self-care helps you balance your day-to-day activities. You can think clearly and work when you care for yourself by relaxing, exercising, and having fun. Remember that you can care for others only if you care for yourself.
2. Self-Care Boosts Your Self-Confidence
Self-care boosts your confidence
It changes the way you think about yourself. It brings out your worth and enhances your self-esteem; when you take care of yourself, you have the confidence to go through life.
3. It Makes You More Aware of Your Personal Needs
Making an effort to care for yourself opens your eyes to see things you need. As a result, you can plan your life more efficiently and not lack the basic needs.
4. It Helps You Relax and Energize
When you are well-rested, you feel energized, and everything will be clear. When you care for yourself, you know when to rest and sleep. Adequate sleep is essential for your mental and physical health.
5. It Helps You Build Better Relationships
Lack of self-care depends a lot on your mood. You become easily irritable when you are stressed when you do not eat well or do the things you enjoy. No one wants to be around someone grumpy and not welcoming. Taking care of yourself boosts your mood, helps you make friends and keeps healthy relationships.
6. It Gives You A Better Understanding of Yourself
Self-care helps you become a better person
Self-care gives you alone time to make you reflect on yourself. You get to know yourself better by taking care of yourself. You get to realize what you enjoy doing best rather than putting the needs of others first. Self-care brings about understanding You by knowing your strengths and weaknesses and developing yourself.
7. Self-Care Improves Focus
When you are calm and less stressed, you can concentrate, get clarity, and be focused. If your mind is disturbed, you will find it hard to focus. Engage in self-care routines like exercising, meditating, and yoga to clear your mind. When you practice this, you will realize the importance of self-care in your mental health. Focusing has to do with mental health.
8. Self-Care Improves Your Immune System
Self-care boosts your immune system
Eating healthy food, exercising, and relieving stress are self-care routines that boost your immune system. But unfortunately, your immune system can’t function well when stressed.
9. Self-Care Helps You Generally In Life
When you take care of yourself, then you can care for others. Do not neglect yourself for others because you can genuinely be of help to others only when you are healthy. As mothers, do not abandon your health because of your children or for whatever reason; your life matters, too; when you eventually break down, your children wouldn’t be able to get any help from you. Students that want good grades must take care of themselves. Find time to relieve stress so that you can improve your brain capacity. There is a popular saying, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Make time to have fun and enjoy yourself.
10. Self-Care Helps You To Improve the Quality and Longevity of Your Life
Live a good and enjoyable life, have fun with friends and family and live life to the fullest. When you take care of yourself, eat healthy, exercise, and relieve stress, your lifespan increases by a percentage. At Least you won’t die because you are stressed or undernourished since death is inevitable for everyone. So do your part by leading a good life.
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How Often Should You Practice Self-Care?
There is no formula on how to go about self-care. Regular self-care is appropriate. It would help if you did something every day to enhance your mental, emotional and physical health. You can practice self-care in just a few minutes or hours.
Practice self-care
It doesn’t have to take so much time to practice self-care, as taking a break when you feel stressed is a self-care practice. Stretching after sitting for too long is also a self-care practice. That is why self-care is unique to every individual. Make use of the best approach that is convenient for you. And always remember that your life matters, embrace yourself, and value yourself.
Conclusion
The positive effects show why self-care is important. Self-care requires a commitment to improving your health or wellbeing. Caring for yourself will always be your choice to make. And I hope after reading this insightful article, you will make the best self-care decision.
You do not have to be selfish or rich or worry about others before taking care of yourself. No matter what choice you make, in the end, it is your life. Say no to self-neglect!
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About Author
- I'm currently a microbiology student at a Nigerian university. In addition, I'm a content writer and freelance writer. I love to make my write-ups captivating and helpful to my readers.
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1 comment
Wow, this is a wonderful article.🥺