Everyone is talking about “self-care,” but what does it mean, and how can you incorporate the concept into your daily lifestyle?
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What Does Self-Care Mean?
Self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s health; the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s well-being and happiness, particularly during stress.
It means you need to put yourself first sometimes, and how you do that is defined by you. Do whatever it takes for you to feel like you have made yourself a priority.
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The Cost of Self-Care
According to an NYPost article, a study done by OnePoll and Eventbrite in 2018 found that Americans tend to spend around $199 a month on self-care, or “treating themselves,” or $2388 per year, or assuming you started working at 20 and live till 80, over $143,000 during a lifetime.
Of course, the pandemic changed things, and now inflation has further increased costs.
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4 Ways to Prioritize Self-Care
Self-care can take many forms and translates into each person’s life differently, so what works for you may not work for your friends or colleagues. For some, self-care amounts to spending money on yourself, getting treated, relaxing, or time away. For others, it’s time alone.
In general, self-care manifests in how we treat ourselves, the amount of time alone we have, or our ability to complete small daily tasks to have peace of mind at the end of the day.
So, how do you make this a priority?
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1 – Add It To Your Schedule
If you want to make self-care a regular part of your life, add it to your busy schedule. Blocking time in your schedule at regular intervals so that no one else can claim it is a sure-fire way to give yourself time and space.
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2 – Learn to Say No
One of the best ways to protect your mental health and wellness is to set firm boundaries. Accept only what will help you or that you have genuine interest and time for. Everything else? Say no.
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3 – Take Paid Vacations
One of our biggest mistakes is thinking that we can’t take time off. Work will not fall apart if you leave, your projects will get done, and life will continue just fine. Be intentional about taking time off and truly getting away from the normal grind so that you can relieve stress and reset. Add this to your schedule too if you must!
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4 – Choose You
Find what makes you happy and brings you to balance and pursue it. Don’t worry about the rest of the world or societal requirements. The best thing you can do to take care of yourself is to be yourself.
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Why Self-Care Matters
There’s that saying by Tarryne West that goes:
“you cannot pour from an empty cup”.
If you’re not ok, you can’t take care of others either. If you’re not ok, you can’t experience life the way you want. Self-care is about finding ways to feel fulfilled so that you can contribute and participate in life the way you like!
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Final Thoughts
Life is stressful. Every day brings us something different, there are ups and downs and good days and bad days. You can’t wait to be happy or hope the next milestone will bring you peace. You have to work on finding happiness and peace wherever you can. That means taking care of yourself enough to appreciate the little things and make the best of each day.
Incorporate self-care into your life so it doesn’t feel like a huge disruption or special occasion. Just make it a part of how you live!
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Original article published by The Female Professional and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
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Sanjana is a physician anesthesiologist, avid traveler, and entrepreneur. She founded The Female Professional in order to give women a voice, a community, and provide resources to help them overcome hurdles and achieve success.
With her experiences as a physician, as a CEO of a startup, and as a writer, she understands the struggles and frustrations that women face. She also understands what it takes to move past those things and come out on top.
Through this platform, Sanjana aims to empower women to be their best, authentic, selves, achieve work/life balance, and live life to the fullest.
