Taking Care Of Yourself Doesn’t Just Mean Diet And Gym

When people talk about taking care of themselves, the first thing that people think is about the gym and their diet.

It’s more than this though. There is so much more to looking after yourself than that.

We’re not saying that they aren’t important aspects of self care, because they are. What we’re saying is that they are not the only ones.

There are other things that you need to focus on too, which is what we’re going to be talking about.

Down below, we’re going to look into the different ways that you can take care of yourself.

Hopefully, once you see them written down you will start introducing them into your life. Ready to get started?

Understanding Your Mental Health

First we want to focus on your mental health. Commonly when people say mental health, the first thing that springs to mind is low mood, and social isolation. These are both important to look out for, but there is more.

If you find yourself feeling low, you’ve got to acknowledge that feeling and see if there’s anything you can do about it.

Should it become a chronic issue, seeking out professional help is your best bet.

There is still a stigma surrounding mental health and we understand that, but your health has to come first.

You can’t just push these issues to the side and hope that they resolve themselves. It’s all well and good spending time in the gym, but that’s not going to magically fix whatever is going on in your head.

It’s okay not to feel okay, and it’s okay to ask for help with your mental health when you need it. Keep an eye on how you’re feeling and your mental health in general to move towards a healthier life.

Reducing Your Stress Levels 

Are you someone who gets stressed a lot? If you are, you’re not alone because there are many people out there just like you. Some of the common stress triggers include but are not limited to:

• Work related issues
• Feelings of not being good enough
• Having too much to do
• Never saying no

And so many more. You need to find ways to bring your stress levels down before you start having physical reactions to the problem. It can happen, and if you’re not careful, it will.

If you’ve never had to try and rid yourself of stress before it can be tough to do. We recommend starting with breathing techniques or a stress ball.

If that doesn’t work, exercise can relieve some of it, and talking about the problem. Also, you could try the following:

• Different types of tea
• Going on a sunset walk
• Taking a long, hot bath
• Taking a day off of work

While there is no guarantee that anything here will work for you, they are all worth trying. It’s not a one-shoe fits all problem, so it’s not an easy blanket solution.

Take Up A Calming Hobby

Do you have a hobby at the moment? If the answer is no, why not? Hobbies are a fantastic way to keep yourself healthy, either physically or mentally depending on the hobby.

You need to find something that you love to do quickly, and take it up on a regular basis. We talk quickly, but it takes time to find the hobby that is right for you. You might have to try out a few different ones before the right one comes along.

In order to find the best possible hobby, you’re going to need to think about the things that you like to do. Though, some people find that the ones they like most are the most surprising and out of the box ones.

Gardening for example can be a fantastic, calming hobby, even for those who wouldn’t think they would enjoy it. Sure, some people really don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean you won’t. You can even move into landscaping as you improve, getting to use a chainsaw and other cool power tools.

Some of the other calming hobbies that we would recommend are as follows:

• Cooking/baking
• Reading
• Blogging
• Walking 
• Collecting

But there are also so many more. This is by no means an extensive list, just a starting point for those who are stuck.

Make Time For Those You Love

Taking care of yourself means that you are not isolating yourself. No person is an island, and there’s no reason to try and make yourself one. You deserve to spend quality time with the most important people in your life, so make it happen.

Spending time with people that you love is great for your mental health, meaning it’s great for your health overall. The more that you hide away, the more your relationships suffer until they are barely there. 

Even if you don’t have loads of time, a quick catch up for a coffee isn’t too much to ask. Or, go out for dinner one evening.

Go and do an activity together. Do whatever you want, just ensure that you are making time for the people in your life who are important to you.

Listening To Your Body

Last but by no means least, you need to learn to listen to your body. Your body will always give you the information that you need, but whether you can understand it is a different story.

If you really want to take care of yourself properly, you have to learn to do this. Learn the signals that it’s giving you, hear what it’s trying to tell you, and act on it. The more you ignore it, the less you will know, and the worse off you will be health wise.

As you can see, it’s not all about what you’re eating and how much you’re working out. You have to put more thought into taking care of your health than that.

If you don’t, you’re going to find that you’re never feeling 100%, no matter what else you do. We hope that our suggestions have helped, and that you will try them out.