Self-care: 20 ways to take care of yourself

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Self-care is a term that I started to really give a thought to since the past year or so. I knew that I worked hard, I got stressed and I wasn’t living as I wanted to. So I started to look for ways to better improve how I take care of myself which obviously made me feel better. 

So what really is self-care?

Self-care is quite a self-explanatory word which means “to look after yourself”. However, I could be wrong so let’s use the dictionary. 

According to the English Merriam Webster dictionary, self-care is “care of oneself”. I love the definition by Collins dictionary, self-care is defined as “necessary care activities, such as eating, sleeping, and, which are or should be initiated and performed by the individual receiving them, rather than an external carer”. 

Importance of self-care

Now you know what self-care means. You might be wondering “…but why is self-care important?” Well, I’ve got the answer to that question. There are several reasons why self-care is important. 

One of this reason is that self-care practices target different parts of our entire being. Although this is dependent on what type of self-care practice one is practicing. For instance, eating, exercise, yoga etc focuses on taking care of your physical body. Meanwhile, self-care practices like meditation and affirmations take care of your inner body/mind. Below is a list of other reasons for self-care.

• You feel good
• Reduces stress 
• Detox is necessary 
• Renewed energy
• Necessary for the mental, psychological state of mind
• Boosts self-confidence and self-esteem 
• Ensures a healthy and balanced life 
• Better productivity

These are just a few reasons. This list is not exhaustive 

20 ways to take care of yourself 

1. Eat as healthily as possible
2. Be active – being active is not limited to going to the gym, running or jogging only.one can choose to be active through any activity that they will enjoy. This is obviously dependent on the individual. For some people, this could be going to the gym, running and/or jogging. For other people being active could mean going for a swim, biking or even dancing.
3. Attend yoga classes
4. Book a facial or do one at home. Check out products you can use here!
5. Book a massage 
6. Treat yourself to something you want
7. Time out
8. Read a book
9. Meditate for a few minutes 
10. Laugh out loud
11. Compliment yourself/ affirmations
12. Watch a movie and eat popcorn
13. Cook or bake 
14. Go out with your friends 
15. Take a holiday 
16. Go shopping 
17. Visit your place of worship
18. Get enough sleep. For better sleep use Zoflora lavender
19. Drink a lot of water
20. Mind your business!

The lesson to take away from this blog post is this: prioritize yourself because you only live once (YOLO!)