Renee Snider, Articles, Wellness - mind-body-spirit, information.

10 Tips for Self-Care

& General Well-Being

1. Set aside “me-time” Make an appointment on the calendar once or twice a week for you. Or create “me-time” rituals. This is time just for you....to do nothing if you like, or read, catch a movie, go to the spa, indulge yourself in the things you want to do, activities that please you! When you schedule time on your calendar for you, then you are more inclined to keep the commitment with yourself.

2. Maintain a Positive Mindset and attitude – Keeping your thoughts positive and having an optimistic attitude is proven to lower stress and more. Research by psychologists revealed that optimistic people are happier, healthier and more successful than those with a negative outlook on life. Viewing life events in an optimistic way lends itself to expectations of solutions and understanding.

3. Get plenty of rest and sleep. Be sure to provide your body with enough down time to fully recharge your batteries. Getting enough sleep helps keep your mind sharp, your attitude up, your immune system strong, and your energy level supplied. And, sleep is important because it allows your body to repair damage caused by stress.

4. Exercise routinely – Whether it is a work out at the gym or just walking regularly, it can really help to lower stress levels and even help you to sleep better. Along with numerous obvious physical benefits, when you exercise your body, it also helps your mind by releasing endorphins and this can increase your feelings of overall wellbeing.

5. Friends – social support – The support of friends and those we care about are very important to our self-care. Friends listen to us when we near a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to our inner most thoughts. Connecting with friends and spending valued time is pleasing to the heart and mind. Interacting with people is important for our emotional psyche. It connects us and gives us a feeling of belonging.

6. Do something totally spontaneous – On a whim, go to a movie; seek out an old friend, take a drive by the lake, go hear a band play, take off work early, accept that invitation for that performance. Whatever it is, do it without any planning. Enjoy the moment and choose an activity/event that delights you that you just normally wouldn’t do.

7. Good Nutritional Balance – Eating healthy and wisely is so important in taking care of your mind and body. When you eat a balanced diet, it helps you to deal with stress, long days, and hectic schedules better. Diets that lack good nutrition may not support your immunity to stresses.

8. Release negative or hurtful feelings. Don’t hold in anger or sadness. Holding in negative emotions is never a good thing. You need to vent! They usually have to come out in some way, so help to make it constructive and beneficial for you. When we release and gently express or journal our thoughts, we can move forward. Journaling is a powerful way to reduce stress and write down what’s been on your mind.

9. Honor your self and your strengths – Appreciate you! Take inventory of your talents, strengths and abilities. Reflect on your own gifts. When you do so and relate those to events, challenges that we overcame and positive directions we have created because of them, enable us to feel good and increase our confidence in ourselves. It is very self empowering.

10. Be in the moment and savor each and every experience – When we are present in the moment, we are able to truly experience the pleasures before us. Being present and noticing the little things perhaps taken for granted, takes us to a place of gratitude. These actions reduce stress and heighten our personal experience of living.