The Time Is Now: How to Take Care of Yourself
Sometimes you get so caught up in things that you forget to take care of the only person who will be with you forever: yourself. And maybe thinking about personal well-being and putting yourself first on your “to-do” list seems selfish to you…but it’s not.
Actually, one of the most important investments you can ever make is an investment in yourself, your health, your needs, and your well-being.
And you absolutely have to know how to take care of yourself to take care of others. If you can take care of yourself right, you’ll be able to give a fuller, more complete you to everyone else.
Spending hours of your day taking care of other people is something that comes from the deepest, most genuine care. But that will take a toll on your emotions if it becomes constant.
And if a person spends a lot of their life taking care of other people, whether on a practical level (doing things for them), or a sentimental one (giving emotional support), they’ll stop taking care of themselves.
They might even forget how. So that’s why in this article we’re going to tell you how to take care of yourself, because it’s a fundamental ability when it comes to having good psychological and emotional health.
“There is no satisfaction that can compare with looking back across the years and finding you’ve grown in self-control, judgment, generosity, and unselfishness.”
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox-
Why is taking care of yourself such a hard job?
A lot of the time we act, move, or decide things based on what other people need or say. Because of this we stop seeing to our needs, and even forget them.
It’s just like when you stop doing a certain activity – you lose your skill, and maybe even forget how much you liked it. So if you stop listening to and taking care of yourself, you’ll forget how.
We can see this situation, especially with people who spend many years taking care of their children or family members. The moment they stop taking care of those people they become depressed, experience anxiety, and don’t understand what’s happening to them, or why they feel that way.
People who don’t know how to take care of themselves go to therapy and say they feel like they’re lost. They feel like they have no direction, like they’re blocked and can’t do anything different to get out of the place they’re in.
It’s time for them to “take care of themselves” and they don’t know how. They confront a task that’s nearly impossible for them: it’s unfamiliar and they don’t even know where to start.
“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.”
-Aldous Huxley-
How do you take care of yourself?
Just think how if you’re doing well, all the hardships around you will be easier to overcome. And you have to accept that this task depends entirely on you.
That is, if you have a partner, friends, family, or children, it’s great if they worry about your well-being (and they should), but you can’t expect the people around you to take care of you. It’s a job you have to do on your own initiative. So that’s why we’re going to give you 7 ideas how to take care of you.
1. Organize your environment, because it shows off your best self
Keeping your house, room, work area, and physical environment orderly is a step forward . The places you find yourself in should be inviting.
Untidiness, low light, and cold will make you feel uncomfortable. And if it’s like that every day, your general psychological discomfort will get worse and worse.
2. Find a moment of relaxation every day
We all live a lifestyle where “we never have enough time.” That’s partly true, but time is a resource that you “take” from one place and “put” in another.
This means that when it comes to taking care of yourself, it’s important to find even just 10 minutes every day to relax and disconnect. To have a coffee or a tea, or look at your phone without letting anything or anyone bother you. This moment of relaxation could be in the morning, afternoon, or night, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is as long you have one.
3. Make laughter part of your routine
Give yourself things that make you laugh. The TV, movies, a radio show, a podcast, it doesn’t matter what. The important thing is that it connects you to your sense of humor.
The impact of trying to laugh every day is positive. You’ll feel the effects on your mood. Be proactive and go for the things that make you laugh. And don’t wait for them to come knocking, go find them.
4. Get away from negative people and emotions
Getting away from anything that hurts you is a necessary step for taking care of yourself. If you have toxic relationships or people in your closest circles who convey negativity, create distance and set boundaries. It’s hard to take care of yourself when surrounded by people who ignore your efforts to reach well-being.
5. Cultivate your personal relationships – give them time and make them worth it
Once you’ve set boundaries in your toxic relationships and gotten away from the negative emotions (listening to them before you do that instead of ignoring them), you can start to cultivate the relationships that make you feel good.
Give them time. Meet up with friends, go on a date with your partner, or visit a family member you’ve been wanting to see. Putting time into these relationships will make you feel emotionally supported and cared for.
6. Do physical exercise, and if you don’t have time…make some!
Physical exercise is one of the best tools to help you get back your psychological balance and improve your mood. On top of having psychological benefits, exercise will also improve your self-esteem.
You’ll feel better and have a better self-image, and all this will act like an injection of positive emotions. Commit yourself to a weekly exercise schedule and you’ll notice the changes right away.
7. Listen to your needs as a person
Above all, connect with your needs, listen to what you want to say or do, and be faithful to yourself. These are some of the best ways to take care of yourself.
Pushing away your needs and always putting other people’s well-being first might be the easier option at the time. But in the long term it will take a toll. You have to consider how you feel, what you want, what’s important to you, and how you can satisfy these things.
Lastly, keep in mind that taking care of yourself can be a hard job. If you haven’t done it before you might not know where to start.
But don’t get discouraged. Anything we do for at least 21 days will become a habit. Set yourself the goal of making a habit out of taking care of yourself for the next 21 days. You won’t regret it!
