Self-Care is Not a Reward, It’s Essential: 5 Ways to Improve Your Life

While there are so many outside factors that seem to affect our moods, health and state of mind, we often fail to realize just how often the cause, as well as the solution hides in ourselves. It may be a difficult day at work, or catching a cold that drained your energy and your enthusiasm, but focusing on short-term culprits can do little for your long-term wellbeing.

Instead of wasting your energy on brooding, complaining or letting yourself drown in negativity, why not do something you know will bring a smile to your face? The best thing you can do for yourself is start treating yourself as you would your best friend – with kindness, care and understanding that will ultimately yield a fulfilled life.

Beauty Sleep

Although your eagerness to invest in your professional development, education or other forms of self-growth is admirable, you need to know when it’s time to turn in. Spending hours every day overwhelmed by stress and responsibilities, your body requires ample rest to be able to cope with the next day’s challenges.

Creating a sleeping schedule that is in accordance with your natural circadian rhythm will protect your immune system, ensure you have plenty of energy, and keep your mood at an all-time high. You will definitely notice improvements even after a single night of decent sleep, but only turning it into a habit will make a lasting difference.

A Calm Environment

Soft colours, plenty of clean space and no clutter is what your mind, body and soul are craving in order to find peace. Whichever space you use daily for the majority of your time, be it your office, your kitchen or your living room, re-think those environments with tranquility in mind. When you provide yourself with a soothing space, you make room for creativity, positivity and serenity to flow.

Surround yourself with natural materials such as wood and stone, especially for those larger pieces that dominate your space, and enrich your rooms with greenery instead of useless gadgets and knickknacks. Minimalism is a perfect way to de-clutter your life, thus providing yourself with that much-needed Zen to restore your health and wellbeing.

Nourishment From Within

Choosing healthy food every day is a priority in every sense, from safeguarding your immune system, boosting your overall resilience, all the way to providing you with energy for everyday tasks. It includes everything from tailoring a menu that meets your health needs, to hand-picking ingredients for your every meal. It may seem tempting or convenient to opt for fast food, but optimizing your nutrition is the only way to build a healthy foundation for your life.

Enrich your daily menu with superfoods such as spirulina, anti-oxidant-rich berries, and natural pain-relievers such as curcumin, all of which work together to keep your weight under control, ward off diseases and provide you with all the essential micro and macronutrients that keep your body strong.

Stay Active

In addition to food, your level of physical activity will play a key role in improving your life – exercise is a known mood-enhancer, a perfect ally in improving your cognitive abilities, and the best recipe for physical, emotional and mental health. Not to mention the effects it will have your confidence and self-image, both of which will only soar.

But many people use work as an excuse to abandon their workouts, so why not find a mix that gives you the best of both worlds? You can keep working at your desk while practicing certain yoga asanas, and do bodyweight exercises while watching your favorite show. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Practice Gratitude

If you’re having a hard time remembering specific things in your life that you’re truly grateful for, perhaps taking a moment and considering your life carefully over a piece of paper will help. It can become your gratitude journal, or a simple way of reminding yourself of certain things that you shouldn’t take for granted.

Then again, it’s more than enough to think of events and experiences you appreciate the most, and recall them in times of difficulty and struggle. They are the most powerful tool to make you do your best to overcome these temporary moments of sorrow, and make you smile by reminding you of those countless reasons to enjoy life.

Last Updated on February 27, 2024