Exhaustion is common in everybody’s lives and it can be physical, emotional or mental. It could be because of struggles in your career, personal life, or just the usual tiredness you can expect from living a busy life. A little stress is fine, this is something you can recover from by taking a short vacation or treating yourself to something nice. Fatigue, however, is something that’s harder to recover from so you have to avoid getting to that point.
Any online life coach will agree that prevention is better than cure, so instead of addressing your exhaustion or frustrations long before they’ve gotten out of hand, focus on preventing it through these 5 self-care practices.
Physical Self Care
As the name implies, this type of self-care focuses on your physical needs and how you can take care of your physical body. It has everything to do with being biologically and physiologically well. It can be as simple as getting your steps in every day to remembering to take your vitamins on time.
It’s pretty easy to assess the level of physical care you give your body. Just ask yourself these questions:
- Are you getting enough sleep? And if yes, how good is the quality of your sleep?
- Is your diet enough to fuel your body? Or do you find yourself with very little energy at the end of the day?
- Are you getting enough exercise? Do you find it difficult to perform simple physical tasks?
- Are you staying hydrated? Do you easily get lightheaded even when working seated?
Your answers to these questions should give you a good idea of whether you’re giving yourself the best possible care. Assess yourself (and be honest while doing so) and make the necessary changes or adjustments. You don’t have to do anything big or drastic; it could be something as simple as drinking an extra glass of water every day or downloading a phone app to remind you to take your vitamins daily.
Mental Self Care
Your mental health is fragile, which is why you need to be able to protect it and nourish it as much as you can. Even the most strong-willed person on the planet will have days when they just don’t have it together, and that’s okay. Keeping your mental health in top shape can be done through several activities like playing puzzles, watching movies, reading books or taking a course on a subject that interests you.
Also, try to make it a habit to foster healthy inner dialogue with your mind. Listen to it and what it demands. Is your mind screaming for rest, mental stimulation, or discussion with another person? Is it a craving for new knowledge? Write down your thoughts and assess the things that you have written down. This will provide you with amazing insights that will let you in on some things that you never even knew existed.
Mental self-care also involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Practicing compassion and self -acceptance, for example, helps you maintain a healthier inner dialogue.
Here are some questions to consider when you think of your mental self -care:
- Do you spend enough time for activities that mentally stimulate you?
- Do you do proactive things to help you stay mentally healthy?
Emotional Self Care
The tricky thing about your emotions is that it can affect your physical health. That’s why grieving people seem to get sick more or why happy people glow. This is precisely why emotional care is very important. Emotional self-care involves activities that allow you to freely express your feelings and acknowledge complicated emotions so you can respond to all of them in a rational manner.
Talking to a person you trust is one of the most effective ways to do this. If you are naturally shy or have very little time to talk to friends or family, consider journaling. This will allow you to keep your feelings and thoughts private (if this is of utmost importance to you) while still reaping the benefits of letting all negativities out of your system.
If you feel like this isn’t enough, you can hire an online life coach to help you navigate your emotions while maintaining your privacy. Life coaches are professionals who can help you understand your emotions better and cope with the ever-changing times.
It is important to have healthy coping skills to deal with uncomfortable emotions, such as anger, anxiety, and sadness. Emotional self -care can include activities that help you acknowledge and express your feelings regularly.
Whether you talk to your partner or close friend about your feelings, or you set aside time for recreational activities that help you process your emotions, it is important to include emotional self -care in your life.
When assessing your emotional self-care strategy, consider these questions:
- Do you have a healthy way to process your emotions?
- Do you put your activities into your life that helps you feel refilled?
Spiritual Self Care
It’s a common misconception that your spiritual health has something to do with religion. Although it may be true for other people, it isn’t something that applies to all. After all, we all have our own spirits to nurture, and not all of us will require religion to do so. Spiritual care includes all practices that will enable you to understand and connect with everything around you. It’s discovering the deeper meaning of life and existence.
Some people choose yoga or meditation to achieve spiritual health. Others are content with visiting places of worship or experiencing nature in its raw beauty. Some choose self-reflection by traveling to different places where they can start their spiritual journeys. Ultimately, the choice is up to you and what your limitations are. The important thing is that you’re taking the necessary steps to foster your spiritual health.
However, maintaining your enthusiasm, does not have to involve religion. This can involve anything that helps you develop a sense of meaning, understanding, or deeper connection with the universe. Whether you enjoy meditation, attend religious services, or pray, spiritual self -care is important.
When you consider your spiritual life, ask yourself:
- What questions do you ask yourself about your life and experience?
- Are you involved in spiritual practice that you think is full?
Social Self Care
Humans are not designed to live in isolation. To be able to thrive, we all need socialization. The problem is that in this modern, digital age, it’s easier to neglect personal relationships. Yes, social media is your friend when staying in touch with your loved ones who are physically impossible to get to. But sometimes complacency becomes the trend and meeting loved ones who are literally living in the same city stops becoming a priority.
Regardless of your social needs, take the time and commit yourself to meeting family and friends in person. If you can’t find time then make time. Pencil in your lunch or coffee dates on your schedule and see the people who matter to you in person. Remember, these are the people who will be in your life forever, so why not return the favor by making sure you see them as much as you can.
Close the connection is important for your welfare. The best way to grow and maintain a close relationship is to take the time and energy to build your relationship with others.
There are no certain hours that you should devote to your friends or working on your relationship. Everyone has a slightly different social needs. The key is to find out what your social needs are and to build enough time in your schedule to create optimal social life.
To assess your social care, consider:
- Do you get enough face to face with your friends?
- What do you do to maintain your relationship with friends and family?
Get Help Creating a Self-Care Plan
When you find that you ignore certain aspects in your life, make a change plan. You don’t need to handle everything at once. Identify a small step that you can take to start caring for yourself better. Then, schedule time to focus on your needs. Even when you feel you don’t have time to squeeze one more thing, make self -care as a priority. When you take care of all aspects of yourself, you will find that you can operate more effectively and efficiently.
We understand if you feel overwhelmed by these practices. Who knew self-care involved so much work, right? If you need help developing a plan you can commit to ensure your overall health, hire an online life coach today. Get in touch with Daftein today for more details.
