Ever since the pandemic, it seems like the quality of life for many people has taken a nosedive. There’s more work being done and less self-care or even opportunities for self-care!
This is unhealthy for the mind, the body, and your spirit. When you can’t focus on decreasing stress, staying moderately productive, or taking care of your health, there’s something wrong.
Regardless of your situation, self-care is 100% necessary. It doesn’t matter what your job, status, current well-being, or living status currently is. Self-care is one of the most important things for your health and here’s why.
Decreased Stress
No matter how you measure stress, stress is stress. It can come in so many forms from general life issues to even self-made drama. Stress is stress.
One of the most important reasons self-care is needed in daily life is because of stress. When you take care of yourself and dive in to dig out stressful elements you will watch your health and quality of life improve right before your eyes.
Heart Disease
Stressful situations release the stress hormone, cortisol. Studies by the University of Rochester Medical Center have shown that an increase in cortisol or sustained periods of high cortisol can spike your cholesterol.
Not only that, but your blood sugar and blood pressure can also increase. These are the general markers for early heart disease.
Physical Issues
One of the more interesting aspects of stress is that it can cause endless physical issues, most of which deal with muscle pain. Stress is ‘held’ or stored in muscles and our bodies are just full of muscles.
Having stomach spasms or IBS? It could be Stress related. Unexplainable back pain? Possibly stress. Stomach too upset to eat? Body feels like a rock? You guessed it, those could all be symptoms of stress!
Increase Productivity
Increasing productivity in your life isn’t a bad thing. This is because productivity isn’t just work: it is taking care of yourself, enjoying a hobby, or doing chores around the house. If you are taking care of yourself then you will feel better and ultimately have more time and energy to do what you love.
Hobbies
This part of increasing productivity is pretty straightforward: do the things you love to do. For example, I enjoy going hiking or making things from scraps around the house. Those are two very simple hobbies that, when I do self-care, I have more energy to do.
Chores
Definitely not everyone’s favorite subject, but someone has to do them. if you are taken care of, you will find that you want to take care of what is around you. From dusting to mopping, it will be easier to get those annoying chores completed if you take care of yourself.
Resting
One of the most underrated parts of productivity is resting. This is different from self-care in a big way. Resting requires that you have already done self-care and you let your mind rest. Completely.
No thinking about work, chores, or what have you. Rest time is meant as a designated space to recharge your batteries and yes, that is productive!
Take Care of Your Health
Self-care forces you to pay attention to how your body is feeling. When we don’t feel good it’s easier to push the thoughts of sickness aside when self-care isn’t involved.
If you are actively engaged in self-care, then you will begin to see what it is that you as a person need to improve your quality of life.
Physical
No, you don’t have to go to the gym. I promise!
If you like the gym, great. Head over there and take a walk on a treadmill or pump some iron; whatever makes you happy. If you aren’t about the gym, there are hundreds of other ways to move your body.
Stretching, yoga, resistance bands, daily walks and more are some of the ways that you can start to take care of your physical health if that is what your body needs.
Mental
Self-care often forces us to take a look within as well. What that means is that when we are focused on our bodies, we are also focused on what is running through our minds.
If there is negativity, frustration, anger, etc. that keeps coursing through your mind, then that is something that you have to address.
Conclusion
It used to be that everyone was taught to push through whatever hardships showed up. Never look back, just keep pushing forward. As a result, many people find that they are burned out, sick, or unable to do what they want.
Is this all related to self-care? No, however, a great deal of this dysfunction is. Prioritize your self-care today in order to have a healthier tomorrow.
