Hi friends!! We are very excited to share a special article with you this week. Brad Krause of Self Caring, has offered to share one of his amazing articles on ways you can care for your physical and mental health and simultaneously improve your overall wellness. Brad’s blog, Self Caring, is about putting yourself first and making sure you are taking all of the necessary steps to nurture your body, mind and soul. His blog explains self-care practices you can start adding to your daily routine to see positive results in all areas of your life.
Thank you so much Brad for sharing your article with us. We appreciate the time and information you shared with Living 4 You Boutique!!
Self-care has swept through the culture and has made people reevaluate the way they treat themselves. While self-care has been a trendy subject for the last few years, the idea of caring for oneself originates far before the 21st century. With a concept that is so fundamental and all encompassing, it’s easy for us to forget how to fully develop our well-being.
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The Mindful Side of Self-Care
How to Boost Your Mental Health and Overall Well-Being
To some, self-care starts and ends with the body—how we feed it, clean it, and keep it fit and healthy. However, it’s important that we not overlook tending to our mental health as well. Here are five basic, but essential, ways you can care for your mental and physical health and simultaneously improve your overall wellness.
1. Sleep well
The easiest way to care for your mental health is by getting plenty of sleep. Every time we get a full night’s rest, our minds are able to completely process the previous day and reset for tomorrow. While getting rest is an essential for your mental health, an alarmingly large amount of people are not getting the deep, REM sleep they need. If you fall into this category of tossing and turning at night, then you might need to rethink your sleeping environment or change to a more consistent bedtime so that you can give your body and mind the rest they deserve.
2. Eat well
How you fuel your body affects how your body and mind work together to keep you healthy and happy. A balanced diet of fresh foods from every food group is essential to providing the nutrients every part of your body needs to function well. Of course, so does the occasional treat!
The secret to eating well is not stressing over it. Subjecting yourself to hours of meal prep, denying yourself the foods you love, and setting unachievable goals won’t get you to where you want to be — physically or mentally. Make your life easier and stay healthier by signing up for a meal delivery service. Prep time is short, portions are pre-measured, and the convenience can’t be beat.
3. Solve problems
One of the ways we take care of our bodies is by pushing it through different exercises to increase its strength, endurance, and flexibility. Your mind works much the same way, and like the body, needs to be pushed in order for it to achieve its full potential.
There are a lot of different ways to “exercise” your mind. You can do crossword puzzles, play card games, try Sudoku, or read. Each one of these activities makes for great exercises to improve your memorization, focus, and ability to process information. Just like physical exercises, you can move up to higher difficulties so you’ll always be able to challenge your mind and improve your mental health.
4. Relax
It’s important to point out that your mind, just like your body, can be pushed too hard. In your head, this burning out feels like stress, anxiety, and depression. Sometimes, life puts too much on you at once, and you just need to take a moment and relax. It’s okay to say no, and just give yourself time to rest and recover.
By slowing things down and letting your mind clear up, you can then assess where this stress and anxiety is coming from. Stress can come from work, family, or past hardships. Finding the root of your stress will help you understand why you are feeling the way you are, and how you can better cope.
5. Meditate
Once you identify the cause for your stress, you can begin taking steps to reduce it, which will improve your mental health. Activities such as meditation are a good way to process your emotions and exercise control over your feelings. Similarly, finding a hobby such as yoga, painting, woodworking, or even exercise can take your mind off your anxiety, depression, or drug or alcohol addiction, and help boost your overall mental health.
So, when it comes to self-care, don’t forget that it’s just as important to care for the mind as it is to care for the body. We need to engage, rest, and even clear our minds so that we can process the daily stress we encounter and cope whenever times get tough.
About The Author
Brad Krause graduated from college in 2010 and went straight to the corporate world at the headquarters of a popular retail company. But what started as a dream job soured quickly. After four years of working 15-hour days and neglecting his health, he decided enough was enough. Through aiding a friend during a tough time, Brad discovered his real calling-helping people implement self-care practices that improve their overall wellbeing. He created Self Caring to share his own knowledge and the many great resources he finds on his self-care journey.
Here are a few more articles from Brad Krause of Self Caring we think you will love:
How Your Sleep Can Affect Your Emotional Wellness
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