Are you a young adult who is already facing a midlife crisis? Well, you are not alone, and it is time for you to explore some effective self-care practices.
Adulting is hard, and the worst part is that nobody tells you how difficult it is going to get for you. Life is uncertain, and we cannot spend much time on what happened earlier or something that might happen later. If you want to gain success as an adult, you must focus on your present self and take good care of yourself. Starting from family responsibilities to social commitments, there are a lot of things that we need to take care of, and keeping you healthy both mentally and physically is a mandatory need here.
According to most psychiatrists, people often misunderstand the idea of self-care with surface-level luxury routines like a bubble bath or a spa day. However, the roots of self-care are spread far beyond the purpose-driven activities that help to make a meaningful living that caters to our well-being. If you are looking forward to leading a healthy life with a proper self-care routine and churn out the better self of yours, here are 25 effective health care practices that can help you out.
- Sleep is Priority, Not Luxury
An adult human requires at least 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep to replenish themselves for the next day. When it comes to taking care of yourself, sleep stands at the top of the priority list, as most people are sleep-deprived in this fast-paced, busy life that leaves very little time for you. Sleep is the best way to prioritize your mental health, as sleep deprivation makes it harder to process and express your emotions. It can also increase anxiety, stress, and overall depression, which can further lead to other chronic diseases. The symptoms of lack of sleep are slower reaction time, irritability, decreased focus, trouble with memory, frequent mood swings, and many others. Remember, only productivity is not good when you do not have enough fuel to go on. Sleep can offer that energy to your body and make it active for the rest of the day. Some of the best ways to improve your schedule would be fixing a bedtime and sticking to it, using less bright lights, reducing alcohol or having coffee before bed, being physically active to get tired, etc, many others.
- Move that Beautiful Body
You have a beautiful body, and you should embrace that with complete confidence. Exercise might feel like a heavy task, but it is actually not. The tough part is doing it every day, and that comes with the virtue of consistency. If you are having a tough time embarking on your workout regime, you can also go for cardio activities like cycling, running, jogging, hiking, swimming, etc, to name some. In case it is still difficult for you, you can just engage yourself in the activities that help to move your body. Staying active in various tasks physically can help engage your body. Exercise helps to release endorphin hormones in the body, which are considered the happy hormone. It helps to get an energetic boost throughout the day and aids in sleep. It also helps to improve your cardiac health and keeps your bones and joints healthy. Exercise actively helps to reduce the amount of stress and instills more agility and flexibility in your body.
- They Say, “Laughter is The Best Medicine”
Well, this is not just a commonly used proverb to sell more tickets for the stand-up comedians, but laughter is actually the biggest antidote to stress. Fun and laughter help to reduce the level of cortisol in your blood and body, which is the stress hormone. Laughter is good for your overall well-being as it can help to reduce your anxiety and worries. In order to have a good dose of laughter, you are not required to be part of an expensive stand-up comedy show; even roasting your close friends can help. Engage in simple activities, be silly with your children or pet, watch a comedy movie or a rom-com, do things that appear cringeworthy but actually fun. Do anything that gives you a brief moment of joy. Laughter might seem like a whimsical fix to stress and the least important for self-care, but it actually works. According to a recent medical report, laughter can also help to improve your immunity, along with your mood.
- Ever Tried Forest Bath?
There is a Japanese practice called ‘shinrin-yoku’, which is also referred to as forest bathing. It is not that you go into the woods and take a skinny dip in a lake with alligators, but it is more like walking through the forest while smelling the wild scent and observing nature. Taking in the air full of oxygen while witnessing the trees and wildlife is the kind of experience that can heighten your primal instincts. It puts you in touch with nature and creates a path for mindfulness that works for everyone. Forest bathing has a lot of benefits, like increased oxygen levels to your brain, reduced cortisol in your blood, reduced depression, and many others. It is a powerful practice, and according to a medical report, forest bathing can achieve a 50 percent or greater reduction in depression.
- Gaming is Self-Care!
Yes, repeat after me that gaming is the biggest part of self-care. More than the kids, it is the kidults who love playing games, and the medical experts suggest that playing video games can be a great stress buster, too. The modern fast-paced world is making our lives too overwhelming, and there is a constant idea of escape that people fantasize about. Gaming allows turning the fantasy into reality through a virtual world that takes away from the worries of the real world, even if it is for a short while. Experts suggest that open-world games like The Legend of Zelda or Minecraft actually help you reduce stress. Besides, playing games can also help you spend more time with your family, which is a win-win situation for all.
- Try to Eat Intuitively
Do you know the fact that your eating habits can have a significant impact on your health and mood? However, it is not just what we eat but also how we eat that can affect us. Instead of always focusing on the calories and worrying about what we can eat and what we cannot, you should focus on Intuitive eating that is based on self-care and kindness to your body. Intuitive eating is not a diet as it does not restrict a person from eating certain foods or require them to engage in counting calories. It mainly rejects the idea of good or bad foods and instead encourages a practice in which you listen to your body and pay attention to what you need in the moment. This latest practice is currently encouraged by professionals as it is good for your overall physical health and emotional well-being. It also boosts self-esteem and allows eating more mindfully rather than carefully.
- Cut Back Your Caffeine Intake
Caffeine is one of the most popular stimulants in the world, and who does not love to have a cup of coffee, right? Whether you go to a café with your friends or have dark espresso at your workplace, coffee has become an ardent need in our daily lives, and that is what is killing us from the inside. According to a recent report, more than 80% of the world’s population consumes around 200 milligrams of the psychoactive chemical caffeine each day. Medical experts have set the limit for daily caffeine consumption at 400 mg, as more than that can cause an increased chance of anxiety. So, if you are trying to avoid the jittery feeling, try to avoid having coffee more than 2 to 3 cups a day. Instead, you can shift a weaker brew, and natural tea works pretty well in this section.
- Skip the Weighing Scale
The first rule of self-care is not to get fixated with conventional norms of body standards. Food and body movements are connected to each other, and self-care is not based on ideas of standards. While self-care practices can help to get close to your desired health and well-being condition, we need to accept our body types as well. Because setting a standard for self-care often turns into body shaming by others. Hopping onto the scale every morning might be part of a routine for someone, but how would you feel if you checked your weight every day? The self-projected standards are often bad for your mental health, and there is nothing to get too obsessed about when you are fit and leading a healthy lifestyle. According to meta-analysis, weighing can be a source of stress and a habit that drives down self-esteem. In that case, it is recommended not to weigh yourself every day.
- Practicing Gratitude like a Responsibility
According to the psychiatrists, practicing gratitude is a powerful cognitive tool that rewires a person’s brain to focus on positivity rather than deficits, and that is why it should be practiced by every individual. Gratitude is the idea of being grateful for what you have, despite always thinking about the negative stuff and what you do not have in your life. Experts say that the idea of gratitude can help to reduce stress hormones, boost dopamine and serotonin, and create a more resilient mindset. To start with the practice, you can keep a gratitude journal to write down at least three wins of your life on a daily basis that you are proud of. You can also go for a walk to reflect on the sensory experiences around you, which makes you more self-aware. Never miss a chance to express your gratitude for others. It not only makes you feel good but also makes others feel good.
- What is Your Daily Ritual?
The most overwhelming part of self-care is fitting it within your daily life, along with your other duties. However, experts suggest that self-care does not always have to be a heavy lift, as it can be organically instilled through your daily routine. It is not a routine that takes away a lot of your productive time and can be done easily while attending to your daily responsibilities. Even finding minutes of daily meditation or beating practices can also help in this case. The key here is to have consistency in self-care, which can help in creating a resilient mind.
- Positive Self-Talk
Almost every one of us talks to ourselves in our head, and that is what is considered the inner voice that sometimes addresses us in third person. But this voice can be very critical of ourselves and our achievements, which is considered negative self-talk. You can counter it by positive self-talk where the inner dialogues are more considerate, supportive, and constructive rather than degrading and self-loathing. Practicing positive self-talk can help boost self-esteem, lead to greater resilience, and help regulate emotions. Practice more words of affirmation to yourself and be proud of your authentic self.
- Reminder of Self-care
Since it is so hard to find ample time for a self-care routine, setting a reminder can help in this case. It is a simple practice setting gentle reminders for keeping everything aside and focusing on yourself. According to experts’ suggestions, you set a total of five reminders every day, and each of them should be set for a minute, which means it will take a total of 5 minutes from your whole day. When that reminder pops, you will leave everything that you are currently engaged with and then utilize that time in breathing practices, drinking water, shrugging and stretching, etc, and then you can go back to your business. The goal here is to increase the time for self-care with regular intervals, and from 1 minute, you can slowly increase it to two minutes or more.
- Keep Intentional Gaps in Your Daily Routine
Are you able to focus on what you’re doing? Are you present, or are you running through your to-do list or feeling guilty about the fact that you’re taking time? Asking these questions to yourself can help to find out whether you are really able to take care of yourself or not. Just like daily work is important, experts recommend taking intentional gaps between the busy schedule in order to leave buffer time between activities to allow for life to happen. The gaps help to keep it healthy and do not make me feel stressed or overwhelmed with back-to-back activities.
- Pranayam: The Breathing Technique
Pranayam of the alternate-nostril breathing technique is a yogic practice that is also referred to as ‘nadi shodhana’ in Sanskrit, or channel-cleaning breathing, which means purifying or cleaning the stream. It is an intentionally slowed-down breathing technique that comes with a handful of benefits, including improved focus and attention, reduced stress, and improved heart and lung health. The practice of alternate-nostril breathing not only helps to improve your overall health but also offers a better grasp of your breath while improving immunity for the body.
- Chilling with Music
Music is the most captivating art form that can tantalize the hearts of all kinds of listeners, and it is hard to find someone who does not like music, as it is a daily ingredient in our lives. Music has a huge influence on us and helps to make life more bearable. Listening to your favorite track can instantly lift your mood as it helps to release more dopamine. It is considered to be the neurotransmitter that is involved in feelings of pleasure and motivation, a reward system installed in your very own brain. In the modern age, music therapy is being used all over the world, and music has great healing properties; even animals respond to it. Besides, there are no greater feelings than chilling with your favorite music after a long day of work.
- Go for a Vacation
Perhaps it is time to take the long vacation that you have been planning for a long time now. No, we are not talking weekend road trips that get done within a day. We are recommending that you have a long vacation with many days off from work. According to a report by the American Psychological Association, workers who plan for vacation and execute their plans successfully are more likely to have mental health outcomes and signs of stress recovery, like sleeping well at night without disruption. However, this fast-paced life and diabolical economic situation also make it difficult for most employees to go on a long trip. If you are not getting paid time off work, then you can also proceed with a workation, which allows you to work during your vacations.
- Call Your Family or a Close Friend
In this digital age of the internet, we are more likely to write on social media or send a text on our phone whenever we feel like without any fixed frequency. Do not write, but call them directly to share your thoughts without holding back on anything, as they are the people you can trust. Experts suggest that positive social connections with mental and physical well-being can help to instill longevity in the body and the mind. Social connections can have positive effects on your mind and body, offering a sense of improved wellness.
- Be Careful with Social Media Usage
Social media can be hard to avoid in this age, where online users are practically obsessed with their time on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, Reddit, and many others. Social media platforms can be very tricky sometimes, as they create a “comparison trap” for users. Experts claim that the constant barrage of information and news, along with cringeworthy brain-rot content, is very stressful for many users, and it ultimately leads a person to a state of overstimulation or anxiety. Follow some strict limits and rules while you are using these platforms. Besides, the social media platforms are highly dominated by the online communities of like-minded people. Being a part of the group can help to improve your mental health.
- Declutter Your Home
They say, ‘You are what you eat,’ where the saying should be ‘You are where you live. ’ It is not about the size of the house here, but more like the interior or condition of the house, or how you have kept it. A lot of adults do not like housework, but that is the least you can do as an adult. Tidying your rooms, including the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, can be considered a superior form of self-care. When you are living in a cluttered, dirty, and piled-up room, it only showcases your depression and your lack of self-awareness. When you declutter your room, you will start finding more space, and it will offer a sense of satisfaction. Experts say that our messy rooms are just a reflection of our messy minds or the mess we have in our lives. Once you clean that up, you will feel a lot less burdened with these thoughts. It is suggested to assign at least 15 minutes of your whole day to tidy up your rooms.
- Time to Get Creative
Creativity comes in different forms and shapes. Whether you like painting, singing, or dancing, everything is a form of creativity that resides inside all of us. No one is born talented, but they hone their skills by practicing something every day. Experts say that creative activities can be a great stress buster for adults, beyond just being a hobby. Remember, you just need to express yourself, and you are not required to become the next legend in the field. Creative activities can help distract yourself, and they can relax your brain rapidly. There is no performance pressure; just be yourself!
- Have You Tried Aromatherapy?
Just like music therapy is used to heal people with sonic experiences, aroma therapy helps to heal people based on different types of smells and fragrances. It is soothing and considered to be good for hormones. It is a form of self-care that helps to reduce stress pretty quickly. You can try to add a few drops of your favorite natural oil to the diffuser and see how it changes your mood.
