Struggling With Self-Care? Practice These
Techniques that provide genuine self-care.
With people’s mental awareness being at an all-time high, one buzzword that we often hear is the term “self-care.” This trend has gripped the public all over, with gurus and wellness professionals encouraging all kinds of different techniques and forms.
Some are more reasonable and suggest picking up items like some nice candles or plants. That or some sweet treats after a long and stressful week or day.
Others are more dubious with their recommendations, as they suggest energy healers, psychics, or techniques you’ve never heard of before.
Whatever the case may be, both of these trendy or popular techniques are not ideal for several reasons and miss some of the core concepts of what self-care actually is. Overall, self-care is more than just a treat or “me time.” It’s deliberate; it’s a conscious decision and mindset. At its core, it’s a bunch of habits that all work together to make you feel good.
But most importantly, these are things that don’t always cost you money all the time and are personable to you.
With that in mind, here are some self-care techniques that I personally recommend to people.
Yoga
Whether attending classes at a gym, going to a yoga studio, or practicing with some YouTube videos, yoga is an increasingly important self-care technique to get into. Study after study has shown how good it is to get into yoga.
To me, I consider it as more extensive stretches and mobility work, which is vital considering a lot of us live sedentary lives.
If you can get into group sessions or a studio, I’d suggest picking that for several reasons. One of which is you have other people to use as a point of reference.
Meditation
More of a technique to practice in solitude, meditation doesn’t always require that you spend it cross-legged and still near some babbling brook. Meditation is actually way more flexible than that.
It could be walking through a forest or sitting still and focusing on a specific object.
The biggest thing about meditation is that you want to do it from a place where you are comfortable and can relax. As such, meditation poses are more subjective than how others present them to be.
The most important part is that you are focusing on your breath or a specific point. That you’re letting out your emotions with each breath and that you’re keeping yourself relaxed.
Getting Help From Others
This doesn’t always mean seeking a therapist, although that is an option.
One of the biggest issues with self-care and self-help is that it’s often framed as this interpersonal thing you have to do yourself when it doesn’t have to be. This form of self-care is proof that things aren’t always done like that.
Nor should they.
Helping others feels good, but so does confiding in other people. Leaning on others is what makes us human in the end and is one way of ensuring we are cared for. Genuinely.
Sleeping Enough
If you need to splurge, splurge on a good mattress or pillow.
Those bitches are expensive if you want some good ones.
There are some other budget options, like getting some rotary fans to cool down your room or a white noise machine too. Any little bit can make a huge difference, as sleep is crucial.
For a lot of people, they are not getting enough restful sleep, and that can translate to a snowball effect where you feel utterly drained with each passing day. Investing in your sleep is just a smart move to make if you can do that and need it.
Network With Other People
This looks different from person to person, but the big idea here is getting in contact with other human beings. Better yet, being friends with some of those individuals.
How you do this varies, but some general ideas that come to mind are
Volunteering.
Meeting your neighbours and inviting them over for coffee.
Join fitness groups at your local gym.
Participate with public groups that you value.
Check out hangout spots and meet-ups of groups that interest you.
Delving Into Some Self-Discovery
In order for your growth and your care to be as personable as possible, you need to know who you are as a person. The best way to do that is to genuinely ask yourself questions and to sit in your own head for a bit.
Whether you have this conversation out loud or just in your head is up to you, but the act of talking to yourself while you’re figuring yourself out is what I consider to be the best.
And it’s by far the best kind of individualized work that I encourage people to practice.
Because once you know who you are and where you want to go in life, you can follow up your actions by sharing who you are with those around you. When you make achievements or are working on yourself, you can figure out how to get people involved in your growth directly or indirectly.
And that makes a big difference in a number of ways.
Self-Care Is Something You Do With Others
Deep down, self-care is something that is designed to be shared with others and has other people involved to some extent. For sure, a portion of it is about looking out for yourself and making sure you’re in the best form you can be.
But as time goes on, I realize just how important it is to have others be part of your journey, whether you’re looking after yourself or you’re improving yourself.
This is the real pathway to success and betterment.