At some point in our lives, we fall into a repetitive routine of going to work, going home to sleep, and then going to work, and then back home, ad infinitum. This monotonous cycle takes a toll on both the mind and body. We feel tired even if we’re not doing anything. We’re cranky and tend to be more depressive. This hurts us, not just on a physical level, but down to our mental health.
Everyone needs to stop, breathe, and take care of themself. Not just the body, but the self-consciousness that makes that body move. Too often, we forget that we need to take care of our minds as well. Even in the simplest of ways, you can take care of yourself, and here are a few tips to get you started.
Eat Good Food
Taking care of yourself begins with how you treat yourself. This includes what you eat, what kind of foods you consume to sustain you. Far too often, many of us eat whatever’s readily available, and whatever’s readily available isn’t often healthy. However, it’s important to eat good food, not just for the body but also for the mind.
Recent studies have shown that what we eat can influence our emotional state, as the gut flora (the natural bacteria in our stomachs) produces different kinds of natural chemicals that ultimately affect our mental processes, which of course, include mood and emotions.
Do Some Exercise
Our body is an important part of us, and one way to take care of it is through healthy eating and exercise. Especially the latter, as many tend to overlook exercise, believing that it will just make them feel tired and bad about their selves. However, exercise does a lot in taking care of yourself. It helps produce happy hormones in our brain, improving our mood and emotional stability.
Of course, it also helps with your overall health, preventing diseases often connected to living a sedentary lifestyle. Plus, if done consistently enough, it can help you with your body image issues.
Get Yourself Pampered
We’re often the ones hardest on ourselves, pitting ourselves against difficult standards and having high self-expectations in order to pursue success. While that’s not necessarily bad, being too hard on yourself can ultimately harm your mind in the long run. Don’t be afraid to let yourself relax and do things that you enjoy. Success comes when happiness and contentment are present, so just let yourself do things you like every now and then. Moments where you do something out of sheer fun and not because of any benefit or gain afterward are important in helping you keep a cool and level mind.
Buy the Things You Like and Need
If your childhood is filled with memories when money was tight, spending for yourself can be difficult. You probably mull over purchases, wondering whether you should get it or whether you really need it. While there isn’t a simple answer to that, a good starting point is this: don’t skimp on what you need.
Of course, there’s little sense in getting the most expensive ones out there but don’t cheap out on yourself. Get those high-quality Thorogood work boots you’ve always liked. Buy yourself a powerful computer. Get that art equipment you’ve always wanted. Many of the things that we both need and like will never hurt, they may even help you down the line.
Get Good Quantity and Quality Sleep
We live a busy and hectic life, often filled with deadlines and tasks that need accomplishing. We don’t normally let ourselves rest enough, and this becomes a problem. It’s during sleep when our body resets and recovers, processing the nutrients to repair our body. That’s why it’s crucial to both our body and mind. However, the length of the sleep isn’t the only thing important.
The quality of the sleep matters as well. A night of good quality sleep is one that’s undisturbed and deep. Six hours of uninterrupted deep sleep is better than eight hours of shallow and broken sleep. This also helps you wake up the next day feeling refresh and energized.
Keeping yourself healthy should always include keeping your mind happy. To survive daily life, both your body and mind need to be healthy and in good shape. Don’t forget to do things that you like and to actually take the time to take care of your body by giving it healthy food and exercise. Your most important asset is yourself, after all, and you should take care of it like the treasure that it is.
