If you’re not taking care of yourself, and you noticed that you’re just not feeling great overall – whether that be physically or mentally, it’s important that you consider whether or not you’re doing enough self-care. You cannot change how others around you treat you, but you can change how you treat yourself, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters most. If you’re neglecting your needs, it’s only natural that you’re not going to feel good as a result, so it’s time to start thinking of how you can do better for your own good.
A lot of people have the idea that putting themselves first is somewhat selfish because by doing that, you might be neglecting others’ needs. While it might be true that you have to turn others down from time to time to take care of yourself, you need to recognize this as one of your own needs. Not taking care of yourself will drain you, and eventually, you won’t be able to help others as easily, let alone yourself.
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Take care of sleep first
One of the first steps everyone should make sure they’re handling when they’re not feeling healthy is sleep. If you’re not sleeping enough, it can lead to a whole number of issues, as well as leave you without the energy you need to do what needs to be done. Being overly tired can leave you more susceptible to stress, it can have you feeling sluggish, and you won’t have the energy to pursue the things you enjoy.
There are many reasons you might be behind on sleep, and oftentimes it’s because people aren’t putting their sleep as their top priority. What are you doing that’s keeping you up so late? What’s stopping you from sleeping a healthy amount of hours throughout the night? Assess what’s affecting your sleep, and make that change. This should be your top priority if you’re not sleeping great.
Ensure you’re eating healthy
Your diet can and will play a role in how you feel. If you’re eating a lot of junk food and not getting enough nutrition, it’s going to slow you down. It might affect your appearance, it might affect your energy levels – and you may notice that you’re feeling fatigued quite often. It can be difficult to improve your eating habits, and often it’s not even solely about eating less but making sure you’re getting that nutrition.
Your body needs certain vitamins and nutrition to function optimally, and if you’re not getting enough of them – it’s not only going to slow you down, but it’s going to put you at more risk of serious health conditions. If you’re unaware of what you need to change within your diet, speak with a healthcare professional about it. It can be hard to come to a diet that’s perfect for you and your goals, and it might take the advice of an experienced professional to get it right.
Seek medical advice
Some issues you might experience aren’t always a result of your lifestyle choices, as they can be the result of a medical issue. You might have a hormone imbalance, which can lead to a whole number of symptoms. For example, lacking KPV peptides might lead you to experience chronic pain – and you could supplement it if you were in need. However, unless you speak to a healthcare professional, you’re not going to know what you need. This advice could change your life, so don’t hesitate to make your appointment as soon as possible.
Be mindful
Being mindful can be tough when you live a busy life and you find yourself constantly put under different pressures. Whether that’s the pressure of your job, the pressure of your social life, or any other kind of pressure – it can leave you feeling trapped, and many find themselves lacking mindfulness in that situation. Being mindful is about being more aware in general. To be mindful of others is to think about where they’re coming from, why they act the way they do, and how they feel. Being more mindful might allow you to feel more at peace with your situation or may help you to think more positively about where you are.
Of course, simply changing your mindset isn’t going to fix all of your problems, but it can certainly help to lessen the load that you’re feeling mentally.
Always make time for hobbies
We all need a little time here and there to do the things we enjoy. Even if you’re living a busy lifestyle, you should make sure you’ve got time at least once or twice a week to indulge in your hobbies – no matter what they are. It can be as simple as making time to watch a movie, watch your favorite shows, or play video games. As long as you’ve got time to do that – it could help you to relax.
Again, it might feel selfish to prioritize something like watching TV, but your hobbies are one of your needs. Without them, you’re going to be missing something in your life, and you might find that you have less to look forward to overall. Sometimes there’s nothing better than having a little bit of free time to do something you know you enjoy. Hobbies can be relaxing and a great way to blow off steam – as well as a way to build confidence. If your hobbies involve accomplishments, it might help you to feel more confident in your own abilities.
If you haven’t currently got any hobbies that you can look forward to, it can be really exciting to try something new. There are plenty of great things out there you can try, no matter what it is you’re looking for. Whether it’s something you want to do at home or with others – there’s something great out there for you to try. You could give baking a try, you could take up a sport, or you could consider something artistic. There are plenty of great ways to reduce stress while accomplishing something in one of your hobbies.
Go at your own pace
If there’s one thing you should never do, it’s comparing yourself to others. There are people of all ages going through all different walks of life, and it’s important that you don’t try to compare your achievements with theirs. Your path is different from theirs. You’re capable of different things. Just because there are people your age who are more successful, it doesn’t mean that you should be on the same page. You don’t know how others got to where they are in life, and no one knows how you got to where you are.
It helps to keep in mind that you have your own pace, and trying to deviate from that isn’t going to do you any good. Going too fast for what you can handle can lead to you feeling overwhelmed, and you may eventually even feel discouraged from what you’re trying to achieve.
Start exercising
You’ve likely heard often that exercise can boost your mental health, and something that puts a lot of people off is the idea that you would have to do something strenuous and often. The thing is, you don’t have to work out until you’re exhausted every day – you don’t even have to exercise every day. As mentioned before, it’s important that you go at your own pace – and you can take it easy the whole time you’re exercising.
Do something easy today, go for a walk, try a new workout routine – and as soon as you start getting tired, stop. If anything, it’s important that you don’t try to push yourself too hard – as not to injure yourself. Passing your limits will leave you unable to do more the next day, so make sure you’re not doing too much when you get started.
Be aware of self-criticism
When you make a mistake, it’s all too easy to scold yourself and maybe have some harsh thoughts on how you should have done better. There’s nothing wrong with having a level of expectations for yourself, but you need to make sure that they’re fair and that you’re not being overly critical of yourself when you make a mistake. At the end of the day, you’re just like anyone else. Would you treat someone else as harshly if they made a mistake? If a friend failed at something, would you dish out the same criticism as you would yourself?
If you’re being overly harsh to yourself, you might not notice the effect it will have on your mental health. It might not bother you to think that way at first, but it’s not a healthy way to think, and it’s better to treat yourself more fairly if you’re going to maintain your confidence. No one else can call you out for harsh criticism when it’s in your head, so make sure you’re aware of your own criticism and correct it when you notice it’s a little much.
Featured Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
