7 Self-Care Tips to Improve Your Physical Well-Being

Photo by Jannis Brandt

Rewind to a time, 20-30 years ago, and self-care was not very high on society’s priority list. In fact, the concept of self-care was probably unknown and unimportant. It may have even been regarded as ”selfish”.

In today’s day and age, however, self-care is regarded as important as meeting your deadlines. With the major increase in stress and stress-related diseases over the past two decades, society has realized that self-care is not just about self-indulgence.

But what exactly does self-care involve? If you’ve yet to master the art of caring for yourself, check out these self-care tips for more.

The idea of ”me time” and prioritizing time for yourself is a difficult concept for many people to grasp. This is especially true if you’re a parent or guardian, a caretaker, or manage a stressful job.

Even if you aren’t any of those things, self-care is not always easy to make a priority. Technology has become a huge consumer of our time. What you may mistake as time for yourself when scrolling Instagram is not always healthy for the mind.

As a society, our responsibilities tend to get in the way of self-care. But what’s important to realize is that you need your health in order to perform at your best. Self-care is about prioritizing all spheres of your health: physical, mental, and emotional.

Simple Self-Care Tips for Your Everyday Life

Contrary to what many people think, you don’t have to set aside hours of time in order to practice self-care. Most of the time, good self-care practices lie in your everyday habits.

Your end-goal should be to figure out what works best for you, and practice self-care in a holistic manner that prioritizes all aspects of your health. Here are a few simple tips to help you get started:

By now, most of us know that regular exercise is good for your health. But what’s also important is the right type of exercise that you find enjoyable and fulfilling. If you hate running and you find that it increases your anxiety or stress, then don’t do it — it’s the wrong type of exercise.

If you prefer lower-impact exercise, such as yoga, then prioritize some time in your day for your yoga practice. It’s no secret that backache and tension in the neck can cause dizziness or vertigo — this can only compound your stress. Yoga, Pilates, stretching, and regular physiotherapy sessions are all great forms of self-care.

There’s a major difference between average, disrupted sleep, and good-quality sleep. This may seem obvious, but the type of sleep you get night-after-night can have a major impact on your health and levels of stress.

The irony is that stress can make it difficult to sleep soundly, and a lack of sleep can make you all-the-more stressed. So how do you combat this vicious cycle? By making your sleep hygiene a top priority. This includes your habits throughout the day and before bedtime.

If you struggle to sleep soundly, avoid caffeine later on in the day. Cut back on your sugar intake before bed as well as your screen time. Try to avoid all devices at least 30-minutes before you turn in.

The health of your gut can also have a huge impact on your overall health and stress levels. One of the best self-care tips you can follow is to prioritize what and how you eat. The foods you consume directly impact the bacteria that live and thrive in your gut.

These bacteria help to balance your hormones and other vital reactions in the body. You want to make sure your diet is well-balanced in order to create a healthy balance of bacteria. Focus on eating whole foods, including lean meats, leafy greens, whole grains, legumes, plenty of healthy fats, and other probiotic foods.

Sometimes, all you need is a little perspective when it comes to stress and anxiety management. One of the best ways to gain some self-care perspective is by spending time outdoors in nature. Whether it’s a daily walk through your local park, gardening, a quick jog, or quietly sitting on a park bench under a large, shady tree.

This simple activity can help to lower stress levels, blood pressure, and inspire you to live in the moment. It can also help to clear your mind, stir up inspiration, and learn to appreciate the ”little things” in life.

With so many responsibilities and commitments as a society, most of us feel an awful pang of guilt when turning down an invitation. But one of the best acts of self-care is learning to say ”no” when you just don’t have the energy, time, or desire to be around other people.

If you’re stressed, tired, and overworked, this can lead to burnout and heightened levels of anxiety. It’s no wonder that any other type of commitment can seem overwhelming. There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing yourself and your emotional, mental, and physical health by saying ”no”.

Giving your time to someone or something else doesn’t sound like a very personal way to spend your time, does it? But one of the most fulfilling acts of self-care is giving back. This doesn’t necessarily mean charity work, but it could be spending time taking care of a pet or your house plants.

This is a great tip if your struggle to spend your ”me” time completely relaxing or switching off. This allows you to still feel productive while spending your self-care time on an activity that brings your joy.

If you feel like your life is too busy for self-care, why not work it into your schedule so you have no excuse not to take time for yourself? If you want to prioritize your well-being, you’ll make self-care time a priority in your day.

All you really need is 20-30 minutes to spend on yourself. Whether it’s a daily walk, a workout, some time for a relaxing bath, or reading your book, work this time into your schedule and don’t feel guilty about it!

Self-care is not an act of selfishness, it’s quite the opposite. It allows you to be the healthiest version of yourself, so that you can give 100 percent to all the important aspects of your life.

If you’re on the hunt for more self-care tips, you can learn how to prioritize your wellbeing by exploring the rest of this site. We offer articles on fitness, home remedies, weight loss, supplements, and more!