Episode #50 – Best Self-Care Practices You Can Do for a Healthy Mind

It’s vital that we all take care of ourselves, therefore conforming to self-care practices that promote that. It’s one thing to get rid of stress, but it’s an entirely different thing to take care of yourself. All the meditation in the world does you no good if you’re not getting the necessary sleep. In addition, if you’re not well-rested, there’s a slight chance you just might fall asleep.

Regularly showing up at the gym can definitely be considered as one of many self-care practices. But how effective are you really if you’re constantly filling yourself up with garbage food. If you are to be fully effective at relieving yourself of such stress, start with the basics.

Before we go any deeper, it’s important we understand what self-care is. According to the Oxford dictionary, self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health. Or, the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.

Self-care practices help us build resiliency against stress factors we are unable to get rid of. Aiming to keep your body and mind healthy contributes to a better living. However, too often do we confuse self-care for luxury, rather than an actual priority. Without it, life can leave us quite overwhelmed, making it hard for us to deal with life’s adventures.

It is vital that we indulge ourselves in self-care practices that will contribute to an overall quality living. Healthy mind, healthy life, as they say. We must ensure that we take care of our minds, bodies, and spirits. Let us focus on the different aspects of self-care and their ability to shape the way we live.

Show Your Body Love

Another way to practice self-care is by taking good care of your body. If not, how could you expect it to function efficiently? It’s not only about keeping your mind healthy, but also your body as well. The connection between the two is what makes you complete.

To show your body the love that it needs, you must be mindful as to what you fill it up with. How much sleep you get is also important, along with the physical activity you partake in. How often are you actually tending to your checkups or taking your vitamins? All of these things are essential, but too often do put it off to tomorrow.

As it pertains to your physical self-care practices, have you asked yourself the following questions:

• • Am I getting the proper amount of sleep?
  • Is what I’m eating fueling my body or weighing it down?
  • Am I making health a priority?
  • Am I taking the time to fit in exercise?

Self-Care Through Connectivity

Socializing is a key component of your self-care practices. With such a fast-paced living, it can be easy to neglect our relationships. We not only miss out on time with our friends but our families as well.

Connecting with others is an important part of our well-being. In order to nurture them, we must put in the time, the energy into building our relationships with others.

Just like waking up for work in the morning, we should create the time to connect and build our relationships. We are all in need of a social life whether we acknowledge it or not. We just need to pinpoint what those needs are so that we better understand our investment.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to see where you stand as far as connectivity is concerned:

• • Am I spending enough time with my friends?
  • How am I nurturing my relationships with friends and family?

How to Keep A Healthy Mind

A healthy mind goes a long way. That is why it’s important that you are intentional as to what you fill your mind with. It has the ability to influence your mental well-being.

Keeping your mind healthy should be apart of your self-care practice package. Be mindful of the things you allow to take up space in your mind. From the music that you listen to to the movies that you watch. Remember, we are not only shaped by what we see, but also by the things we hear.

What makes a mind healthy is what you build it up with. Being compassionate and accepting of others goes a long way. They both help feed your mind, ensuring a healthy way of thinking and BEING.

The questions below will help you figure out where your mind falls under your self-care practices:

Spirituality and Its contributions

Digging deeper into our self-care practices, research shows what role our spirituality plays in a healthy way of BEING. However, spirituality doesn’t have to include religion. Anything that gives your life a sense of meaning or purpose will do. After all, we weren’t just placed on this planet to exist right?

Whether it be connecting to yourself through meditation, showing up for Sunday service, or praying behind closed doors, maintaining your spirituality is key.

It not only contributes to a healthy mind but also gives you the peace of mind you deserve.

Consider your spirituality through the questions below:

Managing Your Emotions Through Self-Care

With so many emotions we experience, it’s important that we learn how to cope with them all. At one point or another, we are bound to experience some sort of emotion. Learning how to express those emotions on a daily helps us deal with the many different people on this earth.

Whether it be our friends or partners, it is important that we know how to express our feelings. Managing your emotions as part of your self-care practices will better equip you with coping with different feelings we develop.

When assessing your emotional self-care strategies, consider these questions: