Although the term “self-care” is relatively ambiguous, it implies a set of actions to be taken to preserve or better one’s mental health. More often than not, “self-care” is not achieved, but rather worked towards on an individual and continuous basis. To achieve this, self-care must be pursued often and can take the shape of many different actions. Below are five practical and easy self-care tips that can be practiced on a daily basis.
1. Prioritize Sleep
Aim to get 8 hours of sleep every single night. It may seem difficult, but the only way to accomplish this is by setting a scheduled bedtime. In order to actualize this bedtime, ensure that electronics have been put away an hour before the set time, and take proactive steps (such as drinking bedtime tea, reading a book, meditating, etc.) to be able to fall asleep at this time.
2. Refill your Water Bottle Hourly
Hydration is key to the proper functionality of the body. Hydration also helps lower stress levels. In order to do so, hydration must be constantly maintained throughout one’s body, and this can be enforced by creating the habit of filling up a water bottle every hour.
3. Meditate Daily
Meditation not only lowers levels of stress and anxiety, but also improves self-esteem, focus, and concentration. In addition, meditation and mindfulness practices help reduce distracting thoughts that cause difficulty sleeping. The most beneficial and efficient way to start meditating is to do so by following a guided meditation through the use of a meditation/mindfulness app.
4. Exercise Daily
Physical activity releases endorphins (a feel-good chemical in the brain), which enhance a personal sense of well-being. As a result, regular physical activity has the ability to increase mental alertness, energy, and positive moods, which then contribute to reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
5. Limit Social Media Usage
Social media portrays a false sense of reality, which consequently heavily contributes to the development of mental health issues for frequent users as it promotes feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. It can be difficult to break a habit and limit the use of social media, however it is in one’s best interest to do so. A strategy commonly used to do so on a cellphone is to put all the social media applications into a hidden folder so that it is not constantly displayed and is less accessible.
