Elevate Your Well-Being: A Complete Guide to Self-Care and Overall Wellness

WORDS: Peter Minkoff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Making time for yourself isn’t always easy. We pursue several things simultaneously- professional and personal goals, but we rarely slow down to look into what matters to us. Self-care should be one of the goals as important as your career or social circle. It’s the key to maintaining a healthy balance, energising you to pursue other goals. Here are practical tips to help you cultivate a happier, healthier lifestyle.

What is self-care for you?

Self-care is one of those buzzwords we hear all the time. However, it’s more than that. When you prioritise activities that improve your overall life, you prioritise the self and care for yourself. Thus, self-care is the basis of living a fulfilling life. 

At its core, self-care involves many activities, and each one can be personal and specific on an individual level. But all of these activities should include physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. 

Prioritising healthy decisions

The journey of self-care begins when you finally decide to prioritise healthy decisions. Think of everything you’ve always wanted to do to improve your wellbeing. Make a list of easy activities that provide easy wins to motivate yourself to stay on course. It can be reading a book 30 minutes a day for a week and waking up 15 minutes earlier than usual to do stretching exercises. Small wins will motivate you to take on the following bigger self-care decisions.

Reduce daily stressors

Stress can’t be eliminated from our lives, but we can eliminate how we react to stress. For example, stressing over traffic won’t solve the fact that you are stuck. Losing your night’s sleep over a colleague at work won’t do anything about it. It just accumulates additional stress.

Stress reduction starts with a decision to react differently to daily stressors. Exercise more to boost happy hormones and infuse your day with daily exercise. Journal daily to relieve your brain from racing thoughts, and you’ll see how you feel better and relieved after. 

Find the support system 

Support on your self-care journey doesn’t have to be just through your circle of friends. Even if you find an accountability buddy and strike up a deal to improve your lives through healthy habits together, they might not be as accountable as you expect.

The solution is to step out of your comfort zone and find support through naturopathy online to get mental health support and build a support system. Mental health professionals provide valuable support and tools for navigating life’s complexities, and it will definitely elevate your wellbeing. 

Fuel your body the right way

Give your body what it needs to be strong, energised and healthy. Diet is the main cause of health issues and lack of energy, so fuel your body with the right nutrients.  A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains will provide everything you need. Stay hydrated throughout the day, and consider adding superfoods like berries, nuts, and leafy greens into your meals.

Be consistent with physical activity

Physical activity should be a non-negotiable habit as it’s efficient for enhancing both physical and mental health. There’s a physical regime for every fitness level, the key is to be consistent and enjoy what you’re doing. It can be an evening walk on busy days, a weightlifting session every two days at the gym and light jogging on the weekends. Choose activities you enjoy to make fitness a sustainable part of your routine.

Unplug daily

We have the tools and means to observe other people’s lives. While we spend hours mindlessly scrolling, we fail to realise we’re just observing. Instead, you can unplug and use that daily time for self-betterment and refresh your mind by taking a digital detox. 

Find joy in hobbies

There’s a lot of joy in hobbies as they are more than just a way to spend your time. Find an activity you enjoy, like reading, crafting, baking, or gardening and make time for it. Let’s say you cut your daily screen time and use the other half on a project. It will be like a stress release valve you push after a long day.  Hobbies provide an outlet for creativity and relaxation, contributing to a balanced and fulfilling life.

Lastly, don’t neglect the importance of spending time with people in real life. Ask a friend to go on a hike this weekend. You’ll connect, get one more physical activity, spend time in nature, destress and cultivate meaningful relationships. Just remember that by incorporating these tips into your daily life, you’re taking proactive steps toward a healthier and balanced life.