Four Steps For Self-Care To Help Reduce Stress
Practicing self-care is something that everyone should strive to work on each day, but it’s not always easy knowing where to begin, and it can be hard to understand the most important things to consider. Here’s what you need to know about the different steps that go into choosing self-care activities. Hopefully, you can use these tips for coping to guide you in finding what works for you to reduce stress and improve your health.
How do you practice self-care?
When life gets busy or rough, sometimes people might forget to take care of themselves, leading to becoming physically and mentally exhausted or unfit.
Essentially, a self-care practice is all about maintaining a relationship with yourself, and there are almost endless ways that you can do this regularly.
You are probably already familiar with incorporating a healthy diet and physical activity to stay healthy and reduce and prevent issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, a weak immune system, and chronic pain. These can certainly be part of any self-care routine, but it often goes even further beyond this.
Although self-care is about you at the end of the day, it’s also important to try to feel more connected with others. Spending time with a close friend or your family or even attending a support group are excellent ways to enhance your own life through social interaction, and its impact on your health and wellness should not be underestimated.
Four steps for self-care
While many good care routines have passed the test of time, self-care is also individualistic, and as you continue to read on, you’ll learn about self-care steps to follow when making decisions for yourself.
1. Focus on your physical and mental health
It’s a given that any good self-care routine incorporates various activities centered around improving health and wellness, especially through reducing stress.
As you may know, there are countless ideas you can choose from that serve this purpose, and most people include several of them regularly.
For example, those looking to take care of their overall health will often start with small steps like managing their diet, getting enough sleep, and participating in some form of physical activity.
Relaxation techniques like deep breathing and mindfulness meditation are also staples in just about every self-care routine because they can help you manage and reduce stress and calm you mentally, leading to physiological benefits like improved breath control, reduced blood pressure, and better heart health.
However, to incorporate different types of activities into your day, time-management skills could sometimes use improvement and greater intentionality, and this can pave the way for additional self-care strategies like making time for hobbies, such as practicing an instrument or sitting down to read a book which might have been set aside due to a busy schedule.
2. Be goal-oriented
Another way to choose self-care activities is to look for ideas that serve to achieve specific goals. Realistic goals are important to have because they offer the motivation to work towards achieving something without the potential negativity of feeling overwhelmed due to goals that are too broad.
Consider why you set this goal for yourself and what you plan to do with it after you accomplish it. Ask yourself: In what ways will this goal make your life different? Seeing the possibilities can help you stay invested in this goal, and you can apply the same strategy to the next one.
Self-care isn’t always about the result. Even small achievements can make a huge difference because it shows that your effort is starting to pay off and that your main goals aren’t out of reach. Once you reach your primary goal, don’t stop, though; keep finding new ones that can help you remain engaged and moving forward.
You should also try not to get too caught up in the difficulties that you may run into along the way. You may run into challenges, but this makes self-care and achieving your health and wellness goals even more rewarding.
3. Stay committed
One of the most important parts of achieving health and wellness is to stick with your routine. You won’t notice results if you choose to do your strategies only sometimes; self-care is ultimately a long-term endeavor, and it can be something that changes over time.
Goals can help people stay on track, but it’s also an excellent idea to try to find things that you enjoy or that you’re good at too. If you hate a certain activity, it will be very difficult to make it a routine. Remember, you might dislike some self-care strategies initially, like starting a new diet or working out, but this is often because people have adapted and have grown accustomed to eating unhealthy foods and living a sedentary lifestyle without any form of physical activity.
Your body simply isn’t used to these changes yet, and some people have to grow to enjoy and appreciate self-care and let the mind-body connection develop. Once it becomes an ordinary part of a routine, it becomes easier to stick to it.
Therefore, commitment is key to health and wellness and should be prioritized even when facing challenges during the process. Doing so as soon as possible can help prevent heart disease and other common issues linked to stress and anxiety.
4. Don’t hesitate to ask for help
Self-care is about you, but this doesn’t mean that you need to do everything entirely by yourself, nor should you feel guilty for asking for assistance. There are resources for just about every form of self-care out there that can help you stay committed to reaching your goals more efficiently.
For example, nutritionists, personal trainers, and doctors can provide professional medical advice and help you out. For instance, if your general practitioner says you need to improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure, they can provide you with health information needed to modify your diet. They may also refer you to a specialist to help you manage your diet and make other healthy choices and recommend certain types of physical activity so that you can reduce your risk of heart disease and related issues.
They might even refer you to mental health professionals who can provide advice, diagnosis, or treatment if you struggle with conditions such as anxiety or depression. Doctors can prescribe medication that can help treat some of the symptoms, like high blood pressure. Professionals such as psychologists and therapists are trained specifically to help people overcome mental health issues through self-care and other techniques.
Professional support for stress and anxiety
Counseling and therapy can be an important resource for many individuals trying to start on a journey to health and wellness because they can provide various tips for coping and get to the root of the issues that can make self-care and recovery more difficult than they might otherwise be.
For instance, anxiety and depression can make getting enough sleep hard and make these conditions worse. By working with a therapist, you can effectively address both concerns that lead to more stress and physical and mental concerns, like heart health problems, breathing problems, and a poor mood overall.
Benefits of online therapy for managing stress
Online therapy from BetterHelp is a great way to reduce stress because it’s convenient and affordable and can fit right into your care routine. Licensed professional mental health advice and other health information is just a click away, and you can learn how to manage stress and anxiety.
Online therapy has been proven to be helpful for those facing a variety of issues, including anxiety and depression, conditions that can make it difficult to take proper care of oneself. Additionally, people may also benefit from attending a support group because it may help you find like-minded individuals experiencing similar concerns problems as you. In addition, they might have very similar goals as you.
Feeling connected with others and finding support and encouragement from them can be an integral part of learning how to practice self-care and achieve health and wellness, and perhaps one day, you can pass on your advice and care steps to others who need it as well.
Takeaway
Self-care is also about maintaining your health and continuing to evolve, and you should strive to create new goals for yourself for staying healthy. There is always room for learning and improvement when it comes to understanding how to take better care of yourself. There is never any shame in asking for help when it comes to preserving and sustaining your well-being. If you could use some support in cultivating a self-care routine or balancing your commitments, you can reach out to a licensed online therapist at BetterHelp.
How can I take care of myself while living with depression?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, most people begin to feel better with appropriate mental health support, but self-care during this time can also be beneficial. Some activities you can try to help you manage this mental health condition include breathing exercises, regular exercise, maintaining social connections, eating a balanced diet, and engaging in leisure activities you enjoy.
Why is self-care important for mental health?
Self-care practices can enhance well-being in many ways. It can help support physical health, manage stress, and increase energy. Here are some self-care tips that can help guide you in your daily life:
Get regular exercise.
Eat regular, nutrient-dense meals and stay hydrated.
Prioritize sleep.
Practice a relaxing activity you enjoy.
Set and prioritize goals.
Practice gratitude.
Stay connected to friends and family members.
Can stress and anxiety make it hard to practice self-care?
Yes, stress and anxiety can make it hard to practice self-care. Stress and anxiety can affect physical, mental, and emotional health in many ways. They can cause physical pain, trouble sleeping, muscle tension, and a weakened immune system. People may choose to deal with these emotions in unhealthy ways, like using alcohol or drugs, overeating, or smoking to cope.
Stress and anxiety can also cause a lack of motivation or feelings of being overwhelmed, which can make it difficult to take the time to focus on self-care.
How can I create a self-care plan?
To create a self-care plan, it can be helpful first to determine what type of self-care could benefit you the most. Here are some examples:
Mental self-care: This can include mindfulness, meditation, learning a new skill, or engaging in something creative, like playing an instrument or creating art.
Physical self-care: Physical self-care includes things like engaging in regular exercise or prioritizing sleep.
Emotional self-care: To support emotional health, you can write about your feelings in a journal, practice gratitude, or read meaningful passages, poems, or quotes.
Social self-care: To engage in social self-care, you can spend time with loved ones or join community groups to share and socialize.
Spiritual self-care: Spiritual self-care means different things to everyone. For some, it means taking a few minutes to focus on prayer every day, while others may prefer spending time in nature.
What are some easy and effective steps for self-care?
Creating a self-care plan can seem overwhelming, but there are ways to break it down that can help it feel more achievable and give you the ability to begin prioritizing your mental and physical health needs.
First, figure out what kind of self-care you need. Everyone’s self-care needs are different, so it can help determine what type would benefit you most. To do this, start to think about the things that bring you joy. When do you feel your best? When you get enough rest? When you’re surrounded by friends and family? Or after you finish a run at the park? Then, consider how to prioritize these things in your regular routine.
Set reasonable goals for incorporating these things into your daily life. For example, if you identify exercise as something that helps you maintain your stress and energy levels, figure out a realistic way to add it to your day. You may not have time to run a 5K every day, but you can aim for a mile run every morning before work and a longer run on the weekends.
Another example might be learning to manage your screen time. Research points to screen time's significant effects on physical and mental health, and cutting back or eliminating screen time can be beneficial. If you want to limit your screen time, start small. For example, promise yourself that you won’t look at your phone or tablet in the two hours before bed. Then, you can aim to stop looking at your phone during meals and slowly decrease your screen time over the course of several days or weeks.
How can I improve my mental health at home?
There are various ways to improve your mental health at home, including the following:
Learning how to balance positive and negative emotions
Reaching out to others to receive and provide emotional support
Practicing gratitude
Exercising
Getting enough sleep
Eating nutrient-dense foods
Learning to set goals
Trying relaxation techniques, like breathing exercises, meditation, or muscle relaxation
What happens when you stop taking care of yourself?
A lack of self-care can lead to a variety of consequences, including the following:
Physical health symptoms, like aches and pains, frequent illnesses, poor sleep, and digestive issues
Mental health challenges, like mood swings, irritability, anxiety, and depression
Relationship challenges, like having difficulties communicating or losing interest in physical intimacy
What are 5 self-care strategies?
There are many ways to show self-love and incorporate more self-care into daily life. Here are five to consider.
Take care of your physical needs. This can include getting enough sleep and exercise, eating a balanced and nutrient-dense diet, and staying hydrated.
Learn relaxation and mindfulness techniques. Life can be stressful, and it can be beneficial to have tools to turn to in the moment if you start to feel overwhelmed.
Maintain social connections. Having a strong support system can be essential to maintaining your mental health and well-being. According to the CDC, an optimal level of social connection has many benefits, including protecting against certain illnesses and helping us manage stress. Research even shows that a person with strong social bonds may live a longer life.
Learn how to maintain a healthy work-life balance. A healthy work-life balance may help you avoid burnout, and it can have professional benefits.
Know when to get help. If you engage in self-care on a regular basis but discover that you are still experiencing significant stress and anxiety, it may be beneficial to seek help from a mental health professional. A trained professional can help you discover what may be contributing to these feelings and help you learn the coping skills to manage them.
What are the 5 dimensions of self-care?
The five dimensions of self-care are mental or intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual.
What does daily self-care look like?
Daily self-care can look different for everyone. Generally, self-care is an act that can be essential to maintaining your own physical and mental health, and what you need will be different from what everyone else needs. For some, daily self-care can look like a well-established morning routine of waking up, going for a run, taking a shower, and having a nourishing breakfast. For others, it may be talking to a close friend after dinner, then taking a bubble bath and reading before bed.
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