People are becoming extremely busy in this highly dynamic lifestyle. They do not have time for themselves, let alone for their family. Naturally, in this daily hustle culture, paying attention to self care becomes a task that is at the lowest priority. As weird as it may sound, but in order to stay healthy and sane, it is very necessary to take some time out of our busy schedules and start paying attention not only to our physical health, but also to our mental as well as emotional stability. Luckily, there are a lot of activities that can be undertaken so that we focus more on self care. This article is aimed at exploring some of those activities, and to hit a chord of realization on how important the value of self care is. For more ideas on self care activities to keep you feeling mentally healthy please see our website for ideas.

1) Try your hands at meditation

Meditation, without any doubt, is one of the most popular methods to gain inner peace. While it might be a bit difficult to start with, but once you overcome the initial friction, it will help you to come to a calmer state of mind. It is advised as one of the best ways to lessen stress, and all in all, improve your mental health. Confine yourself in a quiet environment for a few minutes, close your eyes, and take deep breaths. Embrace whatever you feel. Listen to your thoughts. Agree or disagree with them without any judgments. Practice this daily for a few minutes, and see the change it can bring in you!

2) Exercise is the key!

Physical exercise is the most effective way to keep your body active. If you make your environment such that you are always resting (physically, not mentally), your body tends to become lethargic. You lose the active feeling inside you. This is detrimental to your health. Start practicing yoga, go for jogging sessions, hit the gym, lift weights, do cardio training, and keep yourself active. If you keep yourself physically active, various hormones are released in the body, which not only keep you motivated, but also elevate your mental well being, and increase self-confidence as well.

3) Try your hands at journaling

Journaling is the practice of writing down all the important things that happened to you on a particular day on a daily basis. Journaling helps you retrospect the activities that occurred with you – be it positive or negative. Journaling can help you get insights into your daily activities and can improve your emotional quotient. In the beginning, one may find it difficult to know what exactly to write, but with practice, one can easily master this art. The act of jotting down all the important things that happened to you can put you in self-examination mode. You can then appreciate or criticize your decision-making for any particular activity, and can then think about what would have happened if you had responded differently. This personal judgment session improves your self-confidence and mental quotient as well.

4) Take a breather from technology

The world is more and more engrossed with technology. Each and every person cannot live without technology, be it in the form of a mobile phone, desktop, laptop, earphone or anything else for that matter. It is very important to take your time off from these devices. Getting addicted to technology reduces our attention span to a great extent. During specific hours of the day, allocate time to be completely off from technology. Put your phone on silent mode, restrict all notifications, and close your mailbox. Talk to people or talk to yourself during this time. Retrospect. This helps to bring you back to reality and establish connections with real people, and not virtually.

5) Have a good sleeping cycle

It is recommended that a person must get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every day. On top of that, it is also very much recommended that one must avoid any activity before going to bed. Avoid using mobile phones before sleeping. They not only disturb your sleep cycle but keep your tried brain active unnecessarily. Having quality sleep ensures that your body is well rested after a tiring day, so that you can refresh, rejuvenate, and replenish your energy for the next day. Having quality sleep ensures that your mental and cognitive abilities are charged up.

6) Socializing is the key

Humans are social animals. They cannot remain isolated. They need people around them to feel normal and comfortable. Even if you are an introvert, always try to interact with people. Social interaction matters a lot – it helps you make new connections and new friends. In the daily hustle and bustle, do not forget to maintain your existing relationships as well. Have conversations with your friends and family, keep a check on how they are doing. 

7) Eat healthy, stay healthy

What you eat regularly in a day matters a lot in how your health is going to be. Eating junk food is obviously going to affect your gut health in some way over the other over a long period of prolonged eating. Once in a while is manageable, but otherwise, always ensure that you have a balanced diet, with a perfect mix of proteins, carbohydrates and nutrients. Making proper food and eating choices boosts your health positively, enforces energy, and keeps you active. This, when combined with proper sleep, can contribute to an elevated overall body health.

To conclude, in the daily ups and downs of life, in the daily fast paced movement, it is very important to emphasize self care. If it is ignored for a long time, it starts affecting your mental as well as physical health negatively. The body is a well-oiled machinery, and if not taken care of properly, it is bound to malfunction. Self care is the fuel that keeps the engine running. Self care, at this point in time, is not a luxury, but a necessity that everyone needs to incorporate into their daily life. By including the above mentioned activities, one can surely improve in terms of self care.