“To experience peace does not mean that your life is always blissful. It means that you are capable of tapping into a blissful state of mind amidst the normal chaos of a hectic life. ” – Jill Bolte Taylor
With a demanding career, a full-on social life and running a smooth household we (women) often forget to take care of ourselves. This is a time where self-care is high on the agenda.
Under self-care, we understand the actions and behaviors that help us to prevent health problems and give us benefits by improving our mental and physical health. It is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. If we take care of ourselves, we are likely to see improvement in just about all aspects of our lives. It’s a positive influence on your relationship and friendships, but also on your work or financial situation. In addition, if we choose to take care of ourselves, we also tend to take care of others. This completely makes sense. If your cup runs over, you need to share it with others.
So here you go, 12 tips to get you started right away on how to incorporate self-care in your daily life:
1. Spend time in nature
Perhaps you’re stuck on the couch with the reason to slow things down and ‘take care of yourself’, but a better alternative is to go outside and surround yourself with green (trees) or blue (that vitamin sea!) It’s a simple way to improve your mental and physical health. You get energy, your brain gets a boost, and you feel more alive.
2. Sleep enough
With a busy schedule, it is tempting to shorten your night’s rest and enjoy only five to six hours. But we really need more than that so our body and mind can recover from a busy day. It is recommended to take between seven and nine hours a night. Too much sleep is not good either again. I would say eight is perfect. I repeat myself again: perfect. Meaning if you don’t get eight hours of sleep, don’t stress. Find out what works best for you.
3. Do not get too busy
Don’t make a fuss about small unimportant things that can lead to stress. And we all know that stress is bad for our health. It is an attack on the body and it is bad for your short-term memory (hello forgetful mama’s!) In addition, stress causes you to absorb fewer nutrients. So make sure you don’t stress too much. A complete stress-free life is not realistic, yet be aware of the amount of stress you allow in your life.
4. Smile more often
‘Laughter is the best medicine’ is often said. Try to laugh as often as possible, with your partner, your friends, your colleagues, or just with yourself. Are you not really in the right mood? Just fake a smile. It’s proven that even a fake smile cheats your brain and gives you a good feel like a real smile does. Besides that, it’s free.
5. Dance away
Dancing is not only physical for you, it also improves your mood and body image. By dancing, you learn to let go and you can lose what you can’t describe in words. Above all, dancing is also the ultimate stress buster. Dancing is one of the most effective ways to make you feel better, because stress hormones are chased and your testosterone level is boosted. Sumba class anyone?
6. Listen to music
Sometimes you are in the car or walking in a store and suddenly you get a smile on your face. The reason why? You hear your favorite song and this makes you happy. But even if you’re already happy has listened to music a positive impact on your emotions, as it intensifies your happy feelings even more.
7. Eat healthy
Nutrition not only has a major influence on your physical well-being, it also affects your mood and your brain. This is because certain foods can affect the neurotransmitters in the brain (which are associated with our feelings). Eat mainly fruits and vegetables (research shows that berries can boost your brain), nuts and healthy fats.
8. Scream and let go of frustrations
It’s a good way to blow off steam and research shows that it can also reduce physical pain. But if you do, do it at home, where no one can hear you. No judgments. I’m fully supporting you.
9. Make time for sex
Sex removes stress, shakes your brain and makes you look younger. If there’s no partner in your life at the moment. No worries. A good exercise in flirting and having an open attitude towards people you find interesting will do the trick too. Most importantly, don’t rush into anything.
10. Move regularly (preferably outside)
That doing sports are good for your body and mind, we probably already know. Do you normally go to the gym? Skip it one time and do your workout in the open air instead. Research shows that outdoor sports enhance mental health and can reduce stress, anger and depression.
11. Cuddle more
Hugging gives you an oxytocin boost that makes you less anxious, causes a reduction in the stress hormone cortisol, stimulates the release of serotonin and dopamine, and miracles for your immune system. Need I say more? Go hug the person next to you.
12. Go on a holiday
In the spirit of taking ‘good care of yourself’, a holiday can not be missed. Whether you are going to a tropical island or just going on a holiday in your own country, it doesn’t matter. It’s about getting out of your comfort zone and spending time with loved ones or friends. And what about the joy of holiday preparations? Research shows that the biggest effect on happiness is not seen during or after a holiday, but before the holidays!
I hope you find these tips helpful. I would love to hear more from you so hit me up on my Insta and Facebook. If you want to receive more articles about health and wellness, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletters in the box below.
With love and gratitude xx
