What’s the buzz?
Self-care may improve both mental and physical health.
What does the science say?
As a culture, Americans are overworked, overextended, and stressed out. Research shows that stress, lack of sleep, and a sedentary lifestyle can be just as detrimental, if not more, to health as a poor diet. In our constant quest to find a shortcut to better health, we may be missing out on something that could actually make a bigger difference: something as simple as taking a few minutes a day to focus on ourselves.
At its core, self-care is about making your health a priority. It’s about reducing and preventing stress, which can improve both mental and physical health. This all-encompassing wellness term recognizes that “me time” isn’t selfish in the negative sense; instead, it can make you a more productive employee and better partner, parent, or friend.
A quick internet or social media search might give you the impression that self-care is just another hippy-dippy health approach. There is no right or wrong way to practice self-care: it looks different for everyone. But self-care isn’t really about days at the spa, yoga retreats, or drinking tonics from your local juice bar (though it can be).
If this concept is new to you, here are five simple ways to practice self-care:
- Get in bed 30 minutes earlier than you usually do to read or allow for more time to sleep.
- Take 20 minutes to move your body in a way that feels good to you.
- Do five minutes of deep breathing when you wake up or before bed. Try this 4-7-8 breathing technique (inhale for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds) to relieve stress.
- Drink a cup of herbal tea without distractions.
- Eat a balanced breakfast to start your day off right.
What’s the takeaway?
Self-care can play an important role in overall health. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive, and fitting it in should definitely not add stress to your day. Choose things that fill up your “happiness cup,” and know that everyone’s version of self-care looks a little different.
Read more about free ways to practice self-care or about the history of self-care — it’s not as new as you think!