How many of us are guilty of pushing through the day, attending to our children or family members, crossing things off our to-do list, driving from here to there to get errands done, only to find ourselves at the end of our day feeling completely drained?
Most of us have heard about self-care. We know it’s important. We may even know a few things that we “should” do for self-care.
If you think you’ve been hearing more about self-care lately, you’re right. One indicator: According to Google Trends, the number of searches for “self-care” has nearly quadrupled since 2018.
Self-care is part of the answer to how we can all better cope with daily stresses.It’s the stress of trying to keep up with the pace of daily life, which technology has hastened more than ever. People are feeling lonelier and less able to unwind and slow down, which makes them feel more anxious and overwhelmed by even the simplest tasks.
So, what happens when we don’t fit in time for self-care into our daily schedule?
● Low energy
● Feeling hopeless
● Less patience
● Increased headaches, stomach aches, and other physical symptoms of stress
● Difficulty falling and staying asleep
● Challenges in choosing healthy food and urges to eat “comfort” foods
● Worsening mental health symptoms like depression or anxiety
● Feeling “burnout”
● Difficulty concentrating
● Strain or distancing in the relationship with your spouse or partner
● Less patience with your children
● Reduced performance at work
● Less motivation to engage in social activities
But what does it really mean? How do we know what’s serving or not serving us?
If we use the definition of serve as ‘to be useful or of service to’, the advice translates to letting go of what’s not useful to you anymore. Ultimately, that could mean things that:
- take away your energy
- drain you mentally and emotionally
- make you doubt yourself
- give you nothing in return
- serve no real purpose in your life
Find the time for your well-being and self care start with small steps and eventually they all add up and you become a happier and healthier version of yourself.
