Mia
Putting aside time for yourself is complicated. Yes, it isn’t easy to find the time to take care of yourself, but the truth is, prioritizing your wellbeing doesn’t have to take up much of your day at all. Completing even the smallest of activities for self-care has massive positive effects on your overall health. The next time you think about skipping “me” time, think again. Here is a guide on prioritizing your wellbeing and showing yourself that, hey, you matter!
Schedule Your Time
Get over the cringeworthy nature of penciling in dates with yourself. To stay organized and balanced, you’re going to need to schedule time for self-care. Planning your time should extend to all aspects of the self: the mental, physical, and spiritual parts of yourself. Once you can state when and where your next workout will be, the time you’ll check out for a 20-minute meditation, and the moment your weekend adventure will start, you’re ready. If you can’t speak for those events or similar, you’re behind on scheduling your personal time. Create room for yourself.
Stay Physically Grounded
To combat stress, it’s important to practice grounding activities. The endorphin-rich after effect of a long run, yoga, and mindful walking are three activities to try out as ways to increase your sense of ease and ability to manage stress. When we feel connected to the earth, we feel greater stability which helps us find balance and harmony in our lives overall. Even taking a few moments to stretch or breathe deeply can enhance one’s stability. A little truly goes a long way, so don’t overthink it! Staying in top physical shape can also promote a sense of greater ease as you’ll feel more comfortable in a physically healthy body. To help you on your fitness journey, you might consider prescription weight loss, should that be of the essence to your fitness goals.
Let Go of Stress
The human mind tends to obsess or ruminate over worrisome thoughts when it’s not kept in check. The mind is a muscle, so the more you train it, the better you will improve your health. In terms of your emotional health, making an effort to practice letting go of stress will teach your brain to worry less as time goes on. Try your very best to let go of disturbing thoughts or stories that you tell yourself, however scary or strange they may seem. Everyone has their own version of anxious thinking, but you have to practice letting go to control the monkey mind. If you are curious about ways to practice letting go, consider taking up mindfulness meditation or read books on the mind’s vulnerability towards negative feedback (the mechanism that causes your worries to spiral and repeat themselves).
Be Patient with Yourself
We live in a fast-paced, convenience-focused world. Health is much more attuned to the natural world, which means that our expectations may not be realistic when it comes to seeing progress in our health. Be patient with yourself and allow things to run their course. You will see progress if you stick to your healthy habits. Use self-compassion to guide you along your health journey and take things one day at a time. You can’t heal from years of being in a poor state of health overnight. Allow your improved health to unfold as it will.
The Bottom Line
Prioritizing your health means that you are actively involved and equally as patient with the process. Follow these guidelines and the suggestions here to harness the strength you’ll need to see things through. Honor yourself by honoring your health.
