7 Self-Care Methods For Physical and Mental Health

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, 7 SELF-CARE IMPROVEMENT METHODS

Most people may often think that taking time for themselves, taking care of themselves, and loving oneself is considered selfish. However, we need care and attention to stay positive and productive. Especially in the middle of the era that demands we are getting busy. Our mental and physical health are always a priority. Self-care is key.

Taking care of yourself (self-care) does not mean selfish. Self-care helps us to stay healthy both physically and mentally. Self-care also helps us to re-explore, appreciate and love ourselves. Here are 14 ways that can help you get healthy physically and mentally.

1: MAKE A MORNING ROUTINE

What do you do when you wake up? Checking notifications from mobile phones? Begin to replace it by determining the morning routine. Light stretching in the room, walking for 30 minutes, listening to up-beat music, or just sipping a cup of coffee can make your morning routine.

Routine in the morning can help our soul and mind become more ready for next move. The most influential people in the world start their day with regular morning routine. David Cameron, the British prime minister started the morning with quality time with the family. Mark Zuckerberg, facebook CEO started the day wearing the same shirt to minimize the waste of time in choosing clothes. Barrack Obama, former president of the United States has a slightly different morning routine of doing cardio exercise and helping his two daughters prepare to go to school.

2: MEDITATION FOR PHYSICAL WELL BEING

Meditation helps you recognize the emotions you experience, both positive and negative emotions. Spending at least 5-10 minutes a day to meditate is enough to make us learn to realize, enjoy and fully appreciate ourselves. Meditation now you can do with the help of applications, such as calm or headspace.

Meditation affects our brain and immune function positively, by means of mindfulness. Mindfulness helps us become more self-conscious, opens the window of the heart, improves memory, maintains the balance of life, gives a proportional response to every problem, and becomes a person who gives full attention.

3: WRITING “GRATITUDE JOURNAL” AS A MENTAL PRACTICE

A busy and fast-paced life keeps us in a hurry. As a result, we do not have time to feel things deeply. We often insecure. We often feel less.

Taking the time to pause and write a journal about things to be thankful for in life, can make us more grateful for what we have. Writing journals about the things we should be grateful for can also be a process of self-forgiveness. Forgive yourself not to always be perfect. We can make mistakes and be grateful for that because many lessons can be learned from the mistake.

4: READING BOOKS

Feed your soul with books. Not only our bodies need food, but also our souls. By reading, we add nutrients to the soul. Reading also makes our point of view wider. By reading, we are more wise to face things in life even we can deepen ourselves through the books we read.

5: DISABLE MOBILE AND INTERNET PERIODICALLY

The digital age makes our bodies and minds tired easily. Disabling social media, chat, or even turning off the phone within a certain period of time helps us to think slowly. Once a week there’s nothing wrong with us re-reading the newspaper, send a letter or postcard, and read the book physically not the ebook. Going back to the analog era where all things done manually can be one way to refresh ourselves.

6: TEA TIME

A cup of tea in the morning or at the end of the day after a day of activity can help us to healing. Tea is known to increase body immunity and relieve stress. The Japanese have long been known to have tea-drinking rituals. The tea-drinking ritual in Japan is focused and solemn from making to drinking the tea. Drinking tea while scrolling feed instagram or timeline line will not make us become more fresh because our brain still does not rest. So, once the tea is made, find a quiet place for you to sit down and drink it. Notice the aroma of tea, admire the look and color of tea, and feel the tea as if the leaves of the newly picked leaves and served into your cup.

7: GO TO NATURE

Going to nature is an easy way for us to refresh ourselves. Through nature, we learn to reflect ourselves truthfully. Nature helps us to recognize who we really are, so we can deepen ourselves and learn to accept and love ourselves as we are. Nature can have a huge impact on both physical and mental health.