Self-Care...Self-Love...Whatever You Want to Call It...It's all About Appreciating Yourself, and Realizing that You Need Care, Too 

Busy, stressed, going through life changes...it's easy and normal to feel "disconnected from yourself" from time to time.  Caregivers often feel like they've put their own lives on hold.  It takes time and effort to re-connect, and then maintain that connection.  That "work" is extremely important.  Without focusing on mind, body, and spirit---and working to create a harmony among those three aspects of our lives---we aren't really living.  

We need to find balance from within, and you can achieve that by committing the time needed to make caring for yourself a priority. We've got Mind, Body, and Spirit tips for you here, and please check out the categories under the Self-Care Tab at the top of the page for more. 

Mind

The brain is our command center.  Realize the power of that!  We can harness the power of our brain to change the things we want to change in our lives.  Psychologists teach us that we can re-train our brain with positive thinking exercises.  Have you ever woken up in a bad mood, feeling like it was "just going to be a bad day", and guess what, it WAS a bad day?  Could you have changed things by choosing to shift your mindset to see challenges instead of blocks? Psychologists say YES.  

MENTAL HEALTH BOOSTING TIPS

• Turn off the TV:  Women who watch more than 2 hours a day have higher rates of depression
• Increase brain-stimulating activities:  Visit museums, learn a new language or hobby, do puzzles..studies show keeping the brain active and sharp can actually decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease. 
• Actively deal with your stress:  It can be sneaky.  Feeling it for so long can having you believing that feeling is your "new normal".  Try deep breathing techniques, and any of the tips you find here for help. 
• Sex:  Intimate relationships are known to reduce stress, and induce relaxation due to the fact that it triggers a surge in oxytocin and endorphins.  These powerful hormones are released from the brain, and help you feel better in seconds.  Having a close relationship with someone feeds other emotional needs as well, and, given the rate that relationships are falling apart, making time to be close with someone is important on several levels. 
• Express gratitude:  Studies show that people who acknowledge an appreciation for things cope better with stress, and experience fewer physical problems in general.  Some research shows feelings of gratitude may also offer some protection for high blood pressure and heart attacks.  Keep a gratitude journal, or simply get into the habit of acknowledging the good things other do for you, and saying "thank you" for those good things. 

Body

When we don't take care of our physical selves, it shows.  We put on weight, our skin lacks a healthy glow, we have issues with our hair and nails.  The signs of poor self-care are more outward and clear in the Physical category, compared with "Mind" and "Spirit", and yet many people still ignore the signs.  

PHYSICAL HEALTH BOOSTING TIPS

• Breathe:  Just stopping to take a nice, slow, deep breath in and then slowly, without any force, releasing it, does wonders to revitalize the body.  Our cells need oxygen to survive and thrive.  Give yourself a boost from breathing several times a day, and make it a point to start and end your day with a few good deep breaths. 
• Exercise:  Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and workout out at moderate to high intensities can lower your risk of heart disease and add nearly four years to your life.  Find something that you like, and that's easy to work into your routine. 
• Stretch:  Muscles get tired from physical activity and from stress.  Stretching the muscles in the stomach and back are ideal because those are the areas that can get tight from hunching over most of the day.  There's a pose in Yoga called the Cobra pose that is great for both of those areas.  Standing tall and reaching up as high as you can will help to relieve some muscle tension as well.  
• Sleep:  Adults need 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.  A variety of critical physiological and emotional processes happen during sleep.  Don't shortchange yourself!  Allow your body to do what it was meant to do by making a firm commitment to yourself to shut everything down and get the restorative sleep you need.
• Eat Well:  Nutritionists says eating small meals every 4-5 hours helps to keep a constant source of fuel going throughout your day.  Drink enough water (half your body weight in ounces).  Eat foods with stress-busting, disease-fighting chemicals...artichokes, beans, berries, cinnamon, cloves, oregano, and potatoes all have high amounts of antioxidents.

Spirit

When we are feeling down, it can be easy to turn away from our faith.  Doubts about faith can fill our minds when bad things happen.  Choosing to cling to your faith---especially during the down times, is a major benefit to overall wellness. 
 
SPIRITUAL HEALTH BOOSTING TIPS

• Connect with Faith:  Believing there's some force in the universe that's bigger and stronger than you, guiding you, helps your health.  There are been several studies that show that people who pray are healthier, and heal faster. 
• Volunteer:  Volunteering has been found to be good for your health by providing a sense of purpose and meaning. 
• Focus on Joy:  Make note of what makes you happy...some people like to keep a journal for this.  Sometimes the happy moments can get lost in our busy lives, shift in to a mindset of searching for and celebrating those moments each day.  
• Replace negative feelings with love. In fact, ooze love!  Feel the energy from that.  It's much stronger than feelings of fear and concern, which can sometimes be overwhelming.
• Keep and open mind and live in the moment.  Take on new experiences as often as you can.  Be willing to explore a little to see where opportunities may lead.