Some days, it feels like life is going a mile a minute. It’s not easy to find time to slow down when you’re racing to keep up; however, when life’s demands are piling up is when you need self-care the most. Without self-care to support your mental health, you could burn out entirely.
Nights on the couch or happy hours with friends might sound like the most appealing form of “self-care” when life has you stressed. However, the best self-care isn’t escapism, but practices that nourish your body. Only by caring for your body first can your mind find the strength to heal and you find the energy to keep pushing forward.
When life is wearing you down and you need self-care to help get you through, these simple health-affirming practices are the places to start.
Invest in Personal Care
Good personal hygiene doesn’t only keep you on your colleagues’ good sides; it’s also a subtle way of reminding yourself that you’re worth the effort. Maintain your personal care practices no matter how busy or overwhelming life gets. Showering, dressing, and grooming might not seem like a priority at the time, but it does wonders for your mental state.
Keep Up with Medical and Dental Care
There will always be things on your schedule that seem more important than a doctor’s appointment or dental cleaning. However, shove these tasks aside for long enough and you’ll wish you made the time to look after your health.
Keep up with routine doctor’s visits and treatment plans for health issues, even when the last thing you want is one more item on your to-do list. When you’re physically healthy, it’s easier to keep up with everything you need to accomplish.
Dental care should be a priority too. When you’re stressed and overworked, your dental hygiene is prone to slide. If you develop dental problems, your self-esteem may suffer. Make time for dental visits so your dentist can keep your teeth healthy. If you’re a senior, realize that Medicare won’t cover dental care, but some Medicare Advantage plans like those offered from Cigna-HealthSpring will.
Visit a Holistic Practitioner
Sometimes, doctor’s visits don’t give us the answers we’re looking for. Doctors are rushed and often, patients leave feeling like their concerns weren’t listened to.
If your doctor routinely brushes you off, it’s a sign that you need a new one. However, if you’re not getting the answers you’re looking for because they fall outside the scope of your doctor’s practice, consider visiting a holistic health practitioner. Acupuncture, chiropractic, nutrition therapy, and expressive therapies are among the holistic practices people turn to for mental health support. Keep in mind that most health insurance policies, including Medicare, don’t cover these services, so you may have to pay out-of-pocket. If you’re interested in chiropractic or acupuncture for chronic pain, consider physical therapy instead, which is covered under Medicare and many other insurers.
Exercise Regularly and Eat Well
Exercise has been shown to be just as effective as antidepressant medications in treating depression. That doesn’t mean you should shun mental healthcare for a gym membership, but exercise should be part of your self-care plan in times of high stress.
If you struggle to find the motivation to exercise, commit yourself to a 10-minute walk once a day. Getting started is usually the hardest part and you may discover you want to keep going once you’re moving.
Don’t neglect nutrition’s role: What you eat has a direct effect on your mental state. When you eat gut-healthy whole foods that are high in nutrients, you experience fewer mood fluctuations and better focus. If time constraints get in the way of healthy eating, try strategies to get nutritious meals on the table faster, like meal prepping or using a meal delivery service.
We tend to think of mental health and physical health as two separate matters; in truth, they’re inextricably linked. While these four health-promoting habits might not eliminate your stress or erase mental health concerns completely, they provide the sustenance you need to live healthily in body and mind. Brad's site is: