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Relaxation for The Mind and Body

Daily Self-Care Checklist

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If you want to feel better on a daily basis, then you must have a plan for your self-care. You can’t count on having other people to help with your well-being, so you must have a daily plan. You might think that having a plan for your own self-care is a waste of time, but by taking care of your body and mind, you can avoid additional mental or health problems in the future. Use these self-care guidelines to improve the way that you feel.

Emotional Self-Care

Experts believe that your emotional well-being is vitally important, and you may overlook this aspect of your health. You may think that your emotional well-being is good because you are in denial of certain stressful situations in your life, but if you ignore emotional difficulties, then the problems will get worse with time. One of the best ways to understand your emotional health is by taking time to notice your mood. If you are a busy person, then you might not notice that you are feeling anxious, sad or angry until the emotions lead to serious problems.

Physical Self-Care

Physical self-care involves many aspects of your daily life, including eating the right foods, sleeping enough and getting plenty of exercise. If you aren’t consuming a nutritious diet, then you need to create daily menu plans that include fresh vegetables and fruits along with whole grains, dairy products and lean proteins. At the same time, you should have an exercise routine that includes a variety of physical activity. In addition, adults require seven to nine hours of sleep each night to avoid illnesses such as colds and influenza.

Spiritual Self-Care

Spiritual self-care can include traditional religious services, but it also can involve daily practices such as meditation or prayer. You may want to have a quiet area of your home where you can focus on spirituality. This area might have religious figurines, candles or other objects that you can focus on to clear your mind of troubling thoughts. If you don’t understand how to meditate, then you can enroll in a class that teaches you how to focus your mind.

Professional Self-Care

An important part of self-care is visiting professionals for examinations for potential problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus or cancer. If you already have a chronic health problem, then professional self-care includes scheduling appointments with specialists who can help you manage problems with your blood sugar levels or high blood pressure. You can also join support groups that include other individuals who have the same medical condition so that you can learn more about nontraditional ways to improve your physical health.

Psychological Self-care

If you are having emotional or mental challenges, then it is essential to seek help from a psychiatric professional. In addition to having conditions such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, you can have problems with addictions to alcohol or drugs. A psychiatrist or counselors can also help you overcome problems that occurred during your childhood, or they can assist you with relationship difficulties.

Use a Calendar to Keep Track of Self-care

The best way to keep track of self-care is by having a calendar to schedule the times and days for appointments or other activities.

Mindfulness in the Winter for Self-Care

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The cold, grey days and long, dreary nights of winter are an ideal time to establish a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is helpful in dealing with stress and other challenges such as anxiety and depression, and it is an effective self-care tool that can easily be applied by anyone, anywhere. Whether one has been an adherent of mindfulness for many years or is a novice, there are practices that can be incorporated into daily life that can help to bring a sense of calm and peace to both our inner and outer beings. Some practical ways to practice mindfulness in the winter include the following:

Sitting Meditation

Perhaps the most well-known mindfulness technique, sitting meditation essentially involves quieting your mind and recognizing your emotions. By doing this, we can honor our feelings while at the same time learn not to be controlled by them. By bringing stillness to our minds, we can stay in the present moment. We allow ourselves to pause and to relax, to restore harmony and balance to our lives.

There are many methods of sitting mediation to choose from. The most basic technique calls for a meditator to find a quiet place to sit, close his or her eyes, and focus on his or her breath. Thoughts will race through a meditator’s mind, and that is perfectly normal and acceptable. When this happens, one simply needs to return to focusing on breathing in and breathing out. Although it can be difficult to find time to meditate in our hectic lives, even taking five or ten minutes in the morning or evening can prove to be very valuable.

Breathing

Many people find that a mindfulness practice that involves intentional breathing does wonders. The act of breathing in and breathing out at a controlled pace helps to regulate our heart rhythms and keeps us from hyperventilating, which can be miraculous in extremely stressful situations. Learning proper breathing techniques is an essential form of mindfulness self-care.

One popular breathing procedure is known as “4-7-8 Relaxing” breathing. One inhales for a count of 4, holds one’s breath for a count of 7, and then exhales for a count of 8. Repeating this behavior for a few cycles can bring rapid relief to an overburdened mind and body.

Explore Nature

The shorter, darker days of winter can be difficult to endure. Although it seems counterintuitive to venture outside into the cold, getting outside to explore and spend time in nature is one of the most healing gifts that we can give ourselves. Being exposed to even a little sunlight, along with getting exercise, increases our feelings of contentment. Walking through the woods or going to the park are incredible ways to explore nature in the winter.

We can incorporate mindfulness into our nature explorations by pausing to examine what we see while outside. Notice the birds that are still around. Look at the shapes of the icicles hanging from the trees. Feel the wind on your face. Taking a moment to appreciate nature is an incredible form of mindfulness.

Self-care in winter revolves around activities that can be done indoors. The extra time that we spend at home provides us with the time and space to implement changes. Practicing mindfulness is a crucial step in staying stress-free and calm during the winter.

How to Care for Yourself in the Winter

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Winter can be a beautiful and thoughtful season, but it’s often difficult to enjoy it with the cold temperature and various illnesses in the air. Luckily, it’s entirely possible to enjoy a picturesque winter season with a few simple steps! Here are some self-care tips you need to enjoy winter today.

Staying Healthy and Warm

One of the most difficult things about winter is the high-probability of getting sick. Whether it’s a sore throat, stuffy nose, or dangerous flu, you’ll want to protect yourself while still enjoying the season’s benefits. While flu vaccinations and over the counter medicines are common, these tips can help protect you while also being enjoyable by themselves!

First, you’ll want to keep your body and home warm throughout the season. This seems obvious, but it requires more than just a sweater and heater. Make sure to wear socks indoors to keep your body temperature down, and sip on warm tea throughout the day. Avoid caffeinated teas in the evenings and instead choose something calming like chamomile.

As the temperature drops, you’ll also find that the air gets drier as well. This can cause your throat and sinuses to get scratchy which also leaves you more susceptible to common colds. To prevent this, get an air humidifier and add some pleasant natural oils into the mix. Oils like lavender, lemon, or peppermint can open your airways and keep you relaxed throughout the season. Plus, a humidifier makes your room’s air moister which will keep your sinuses clear no matter the temperature outside!

Taking Care of Your Mental Health

Depending on where you live, the winter may bring subzero temperatures and occasional snowstorms. When the sun isn’t present for long periods of time, your body begins to produce less vitamin D. When you have a vitamin D deficiency, you may experience mood swings along with other symptoms like depression, lethargy, and insomnia. To help, try a small vitamin D supplement to keep your levels stable throughout the darker months.

Your mental health can also improve through regular exercise. While you may not be able to run outside, you can practice yoga or body weight fitness inside of your home in any season! Do some daily pushups, jog in place, or simply shake out your arms throughout the day. Even the smallest amount of exercise can go a long way in keeping your mind and body healthy during the winter.

Arts, Crafts, and Literature

You may spend more time inside during the winter months, but that doesn’t mean you have to be bored! Find some unique activities or games that you can play inside to stay busy. This could be a new board game or something more personal like arts and crafts. Learn how to draw, or reignite a passion for a craft that you haven’t enjoyed in a while. Plus, nothing’s better than diving into a long and well-written book during the winter! Have some hot chocolate, curl up in a blanket, and enjoy that book you’ve always been meaning to read.

While the winter may not be everyone’s favorite season, it can be an enjoyable time if you put your mind to it. Plus, you can get some festive and colorful lights to hang indoors so you can always enjoy the warmth of the season. By following these tips, you’ll be sure to have a wonderful winter season without worries!

Do You Take As Good Care Of Yourself As You Do Others?

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relax and de-stressSelflessness and selfishness are two very misunderstood terms. People mistakenly think that selfishness means doing things with the intention of taking care of your-self and they also think that selflessness means doing everything for other people that they want, taking everything on board, and never doing anything for your-self.

It’s always important to understand the balance in all of these actions in order to see the reality of the situation.

Imagine This

All day long, you do things for yourself, only based on what you want. If someone else needs something from you, or asks you to get something that they need which might ‘put you out’ a little, you refuse. Your time is your time and you want to keep it all to you.

This is pure selfishness.

Now imagine the opposite.

All day long, you run around for people getting everything they want, not having a second for yourself to get things done or to focus on what you need. You are constantly being told where to go and what to do without ever having the ability to sit down and think for yourself. People use you to the point of exhaustion, every day like a servant to the needs and wants of others.

This is pure selflessness and it is exhausting.

In all of this, it is vital that we find the balance.

Balancing Yourself

When we take care of the needs of others, we must do so while maintaining what we need also. When we need a break, we must be able to say no. When a person’s requests or demands are getting to be too much weight on our shoulders, again we must learn to say no.

While looking after and taking care of others, we must also make it a high priority to have time to ourselves, to relax and not have to deal with any added stresses and pressure.

Doing this, taking time out for ourselves, to give ourselves what we need, actually allows us to better serve others. If there is not balance, very quickly we will become exhausted and drained of our ability to do anything.

In this state, we would quickly become depressed and overwhelmed, or perhaps even start to get irritable and angry. This is all because there is no balance between selfishness and selflessness.

Real Selflessness

What we are trying to achieve here is ‘Real Selflessness’. The kind of selflessness that is balanced, that gives both ourselves and the other person or people what we all need. Living in this way actually makes us more capable of helping others, because at the same time we maintain our own requirements along with the requirements of everyone else.

It is important that we take as good care of ourselves as we do others. If we don’t, we actually lose the ability to take care of others properly.

Developing the right kind of balance means we can go on living through ‘Real Selflessness’ for as long as we continue to live.

How To Be Truly Selfless

We must be honest with ourselves and with others. We must have boundaries in place that don’t allow other people to take advantage, unknowingly or not.

We must recognize when things are becoming too much to handle, and when we need a little space to relax and let go of the stress.

Once we recognize this, we must put everything down, essentially say ‘no’ to the world for a little while so that we can rest, recover, recuperate and reset to come back reinvigorated and ready to serve once again.

Living in this way means that we aren’t just taking care of others, we are simultaneously taking care of ourselves in the same moment.

People will respect this and appreciate it because everyone knows how it feels to be stressed and exhausted and at the same time, they will appreciate that you are still helping them, or that you will continue to be your giving self once, you have had enough of a break to focus on yourself.

Learn to have boundaries in place and effectively implement them. By doing this, you will learn how to be the right amount of selfless and the right amount of selfish, without falling into any extremes.

The middle way is always balanced. Learn to walk the middle way and take care of yourself as much as you do others.

 

How to Nurture Your Mind and Body Every Morning

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How to Nurture Your Mind and Body Every Morning

It’s easy to put your self-care last on the list of things you do. Then you reach the end of the day and you don’t have enough energy to do anything else. So, you skip your kickboxing class or fall asleep before you can finish your facial.

But when you start your day with self-care, you put yourself at the top of the list. You’ll feel better physically and mentally. You’ll have more energy. You’ll find it easier to focus and enjoy your day even more. Here are some simple ways you can nurture yourself each morning:

Hydrate

Start your day with a glass of water. It boosts your metabolism and flushes toxins that have built up over night out of your body. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try adding lemon or cucumber slices into your glass. The taste will be refreshing and wake up your taste buds.

Exercise

You don’t have to jog twenty miles before breakfast to get the benefits of exercise. Even low key workouts like yoga or stretching can energize you for the day. If you’re not used to exercising in the morning, try it for just ten minutes each day. As you adjust to your new exercise routine, you’ll be able to exercise for longer periods of time.

Eat

Like exercise, breakfast boosts your metabolism. This means your body burns the calories you eat more effectively. It also gives you energy to face the rest of the day. Keep in mind breakfast can be as simple as jam on two mini bagels or banana bread with cream cheese.

Cuddle

Cuddle with a partner, with your kids, or even with your pets. This will give you a boost of endorphins which are the feel-good chemicals your brain produces when you’re happy. If you can’t cuddle, reach out. Connect with a loved one or friend. Send a text message, call, or Skype.

Inhale

Certain smells can energize you for the day ahead. Try using a diffuser designed for essential oils. Some good morning choices are lemon and orange since their citrus smell will wake up your mind and body. You can also try peppermint or spearmint, both of which improve concentration and focus.

Reward

Plan to reward yourself at the end of your day. This reward might be something simple like watching an episode of your favorite TV show on Netflix or saving a special dessert for later. When you know you have a treat waiting for you, the anticipation builds boosting your happiness level all day.

Be patient. At first, taking time for yourself every morning may feel weird or uncomfortable. That’s because you’re not use to self-care. But the more you care for yourself, the more you’ll grow to enjoy mornings.

 

Guide to a Self-Care Routine

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A Self-care routine is essential for both mental and physical wellness. It fosters a healthy lifestyle, which ensures that your body functions optimally. Self-care involves self-love, self-respect, self-awareness, and self-understanding. In other words, it involves doing what you feel is right for your health. Although self-care may be elusive, especially if you have a very busy schedule, it is important to note that prioritizing your needs is essential for your wellness. This article explores a few steps to guide you on how to incorporate self-care into your busy schedule.

Healthy Eating

Healthy eating ensures that your body gets adequate nutrients to function at an optimal level. The nutrients reduce your vulnerability to diseases and infections by keeping your immune system strong. To ensure you eat healthy, it is important to plan your diet in a way that incorporates carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients that are important for body processes. Avoid fries and other foods that raise the level of cholesterol in your body. Any cholesterol surplus in the body is deposited as fats, which are harmful to your body. It is important to adopt a balanced diet to avoid too little or too much of a particular nutrient in your body.

Healthy eating may also involve avoiding excessive alcohol intake. Too much alcohol has various side effects, including alcohol addiction and dehydration. Alcohol addiction may be difficult to treat, especially when you begin experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholism may affect your social and economic lifestyles.

Healthy Sleep

Getting perfect sleep should be an essential part of your daily schedule. Perfect sleep relieves stress and improves your cognitive ability by eliminating mental fatigue. Since every person is unique, it may be difficult to determine how long proper sleep should last. However, scientists generally recommend that you should sleep 7 to 8 hours a night. You can know that you lack good sleep if you experience certain signs and symptoms, including mood swings, sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, hallucinations, memory problems, and disrupted sleep cycle.

Meditation

Meditation connects you with your inner self. It alleviates stress and gives your mind the ability to focus on useful things. Meditation also fosters self-awareness and self-compassion. When meditating, be sure to focus on the good things you have achieved in your life. This gives you encouragement that you can achieve better things. Avoid thinking about past negative events because such events tend to cause stress and distract your focus on important aspects of your life.

Proper Exercises

Proper physical exercises should not be too light or too heavy, and they should be done on a regular basis. Exercises ensure proper self-care by keeping your circulatory system efficient. When the blood in your body flows optimally, nutrients and oxygen are properly transported in the body to keep you healthy. Proper exercises also boost your cognitive ability by ensuring increased blood supply to the brain. Additionally, it keeps your body healthy by toning your muscles and burning fat deposits in your body. To make the results of regular exercises even better, accompany your workout plan with a proper diet plan.

Overall, it is important to understand that you may not live to care for your loved ones if you fail to care for yourself. You need to avoid conforming to environmental and situational demands that compromise your self-care. Instead, think and act in a way that promotes self-care.

 

Taking Time Out to Be by Yourself

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Taking Time Out For Yourself

Taking time out for yourself is one of the most important aspects of self-care. You need to find time in your day to relax, unwind, and recharge before anything else. Even if you’re busy with work or family life, giving yourself time to relax can help you fulfill your responsibilities more efficiently and without stress. This guide will help you find the time to relax along with tips for what to do during your short breaks.

Finding Time for Yourself

Whether you work in an office all day or are at home taking care of kids, it’s important to find at least 15 minutes to give yourself some breathing space. At work, you can wait for a lunch break to sneak to your car or a quiet space outside. At home, wait for your partner or kids to calm down before focusing on yourself. Once you have a few minutes without excessive distractions, you can then utilize the following tips to make the most of your time.

Focus on Your Breathing

When alone, focus on your breath and posture to completely relax yourself. Inhale slowly and deeply, and then exhale completely to feel at ease. This will help to calm your mind and body very quickly, and it can give you a lot of energy later in the day.

A Short Activity

Even if you’re pressed for time, you can find ways to get in a quick exercise to stay healthy and calm your nerves. Choose to walk to the store instead of driving, or quietly jog in place if you can’t go outside. Stretch your body, shake out your limbs, and get your blood flowing so you can stay loose and calm throughout the day.

Read Something Special

Keep a small book of poetry or prose nearby so you can dip into it when given the time. A well-written poem can liven your spirits and give you the perfect boost throughout an otherwise monotonous day. If you prefer, you can also choose something like a crossword puzzle or sudoku.

Buy Yourself Something Nice

You don’t have to buy yourself something expensive, but treat yourself to something nice every now and then to boost your mood. It could be a dark chocolate or a cute keychain. You could even buy yourself a beautiful postcard to pin on a wall at home. Give yourself gifts and treat yourself with love to always have the best mood possible.

Practice Positive Thinking

It’s easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking throughout the day, but it’s extremely important to break that trap before it becomes self-fulfilling. Instead of worrying about errands, chores, or work, think about how nice it will be to complete your tasks. You’ll have to complete them anyway, so it’s better to think of the positives instead of the dull negatives. Instead of worrying about how long a project will take, try to imagine how pleasant it will be to complete it.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to take time for yourself throughout the day without worries. Give yourself a gift every once in a while, and do something positive for yourself whether it’s thinking happy thoughts or getting in a small amount of exercise. Once you make a habit of this, you’ll be able to see the positive results immediately!

How to Relax and De-Stress After the Holidays

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relax and de-stress

After the holiday season, you still have several months of winter left to cope with, so you must find ways to relax and de-stress. You may have been super busy throughout the holidays, giving you little time for reducing the stress of shopping and going to parties. Here are some winter care tips to help you feel better after the holidays end.

Create a Soothing Bedroom

First, you should create a soothing bedroom to cope with the cold temperatures at night. You may want to replace your old mattress and box springs by shopping at an after Christmas sale. In addition, January is a great time to find new bedroom linens at reduced prices so that you can have new items such as a thick comforter, heated mattress pad and soft flannel sheets. This is also an excellent time to replace lightweight curtains with heavier draperies so that there are fewer cold drafts in your bedroom.

Visit a Day Spa

Winter is the perfect time for visiting a day spa for relaxing treatments to eliminate the stress from the holiday season. You can request a facial to cleanse and moisturize your skin, or you might prefer a full-body wrap that includes an application of mud and herbs. A spa will have additional amenities such as whirling hot tubs or warm saunas to help you feel better. It is also possible to have an assortment of massages along with beauty treatments such as pedicures, haircuts and manicures.

Change Your Diet Plan

If you have gained weight during the holidays, then you will want to change your diet plan to lose a few pounds. You may have consumed a lot of bad carbohydrates such as cookies and noodles throughout the holidays, so you can switch to eating numerous fresh fruits and vegetables instead. Create new daily menus that include three meals and two snacks so that you can control what you eat rather than grazing mindlessly. With these menu plans, you can create a grocery-shopping list to avoid buying junk foods while you are at the supermarket.

Plan Your Exercise Routines

When you have avoided having an exercise routine, January is the perfect time to join a fitness center. This is the time of year that local gyms are offering discounts on memberships, and a fitness center is a heated indoor space away from snow or ice. You will have access to an assortment of exercise equipment such as elliptical machines, stationary bicycles and free weights. Most fitness centers also offer classes that involve group activities such as yoga or calisthenics. Joining a class at a fitness center is an excellent way to socialize with others while also increasing the strength of your muscles and bones.

Maintain a Regular Schedule

You may have had a poor daily and weekly schedule during the holidays because you were busy with Christmas shopping and holiday activities, but in January, you can begin to maintain a regular schedule again. To feel your best, you must go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. You will also lose more weight if you eat your meals and snacks at the same times on a daily basis.