Across most cultures in the world, caring for others rather than for oneself is considered more virtuous and elevates you to a higher plane in the eyes of society. Taking this concept a step further, looking after yourself or prioritizing your own needs is seen as being “selfish” “self-serving” or “self-centred.”

In reality, looking after yourself, and your own mental, social and physical health contributes to a more healthy and productive society. In the light of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, these ideas have become more important, and they help us to understand the benefits of taking personal responsibility for ourselves and our well-being. It is only when we are in the best of physical and emotional health that we can take care of others and avoid caregiver burnout.

What Does Self Care Mean?

Amid our everyday lives, family and social responsibilities, careers, goals and aspirations, financial commitments and more, we tend to ignore our own simple, basic, personal needs. Stress, anxiety, depression, feelings of anger, frustration or fear overwhelm us, leading to a variety of physical and mental issues.

Consciously attending to our needs, taking proactive steps to recognize and acknowledge our stress triggers, developing strategies to protect ourselves and finding personal coping plans of action are what self-care is all about.

Ten Secrets Of Self-Care

1. Analyze

Taking stock of yourself isn’t just for organizations. Regular self-check-ins are vital for looking after yourself. If you’ve never listened to yourself or taken a step back to evaluate, start now. Some people find long walks or runs helpful, while others prefer quiet reflection, talking to a trusted friend, or writing down their thoughts. Choose a method that suits you. This exercise helps you identify needs and stressors, recognize challenges, and plan regular check-ins for better self-care.

2. Firm Up On Priorities

Each life is different, and every self-care journey is unique. Focus on what you need to do immediately, in the short term, and the long term. For instance, if you feel constantly on edge due to work or personal issues, this needs to be addressed immediately with strategies such as getting more sleep and exercise and getting help in dealing with the problem. Don’t park the problem or hope that it will simply disappear. In the short term, you may need to complete a project, travel to your dream destination or move out of a toxic relationship. Your long-term goals may be to get married, have children, purchase a home or move to another country. Organize these categories and re-visit them occasionally.

3. Find Your Mind-Body Connection

It is all too convenient to separate different problems as either to do with the mind or the body. The truth is that we are a whole entity, and treating each part separately is counter-productive. Mental stress creates physical issues and vice versa. Make time for yoga or meditation, pursue hobbies that you enjoy, strengthen your social connections, and do a digital detox occasionally. The rest and digest website will give you more ideas.

4. Try Something New

get far too set in our ways and hesitate to move out of our comfort zones. Studies have shown that learning a new skill, travelling to new regions, taking a new route to work, meeting a new group of people or experimenting with a new look or new cuisine can give you an emotional high.

5. Snap Out of It

Too often, a negative event can colour the rest of your day. You brood over it, think of all the things that you could have done to avoid it, and try to fix the blame. You may even become superstitious or depend on pseudo-scientific processes such as astrology or fad diets. Enable your rational, logical capability to examine and reject these mistaken explanations.

6. Practice Gratitude

“Count your blessings” has become a cliche but like all cliches, it holds much truth. As a daily routine, take a few minutes to think about 5 things you are grateful to be or have. This helps you to get better insight into the wholeness of life. Ensure that you find ways to convey your gratitude to people, jot down your thoughts in a gratitude journal and find joy in small things.

7. De-Clutter

It seems trivial, but keeping your surroundings neat and organized goes a long way in promoting feelings of wellness. Start small with perhaps one or two closets a day. Don’t try to do it all at once. Enjoy the task and the sense of achievement at the end of each one.

8. Time Management

Free yourself by taking control of your time. You may feel overwhelmed and anxious by the size and dimensions of a task. Break it up into smaller chunks, use a Pomodoro timer to set your goals for 25 minutes at a time, and take a 5-minute break before you resume.

9. Learn To Say No Gracefully

Setting boundaries is a cornerstone in your self-care journey. Develop a gut instinct about requests on your time and effort. Can you do justice to the work? Can you complete it in time? Does it involve more than you can give? Find a sensitive and non-confrontational way of saying “No” firmly yet gracefully.

10. Positive Self-Talk

Tune into your internal dialogue and learn ways to avoid negative self-talk. Appreciate how you look, your achievements, and the small ways in which others care about your happiness, without bragging or boastfulness. Be kind to yourself, like you would to another person. You are worth it, and you deserve it.