INDIANA— Self-care is a vital part of our everyday lives. It promotes healthy living, reduces stress, increases relaxation, and improves overall well-being. Self-care can also help your mental and physical health by boosting your mood and increasing your activity rate.
The fun part about self-care is that you can incorporate it at any time of the day. Five minutes of self-care can boost your mood and increase your dopamine levels! According to the National Institute of Mental Health, self-care means creating time to do things to help improve your life and increase your well-being. Your mental health is essential, so taking the extra step to improve it can significantly impact your daily living.
Self-care helps you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Some great self-care tips include incorporating at least 30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine, eating healthy meals, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, setting goals and priorities, and staying positive!
There are numerous ways to add self-care activities to your day. Some ideas include meditation, reading, painting, dancing, listening to relaxing music, taking a bath, walking, watching your favorite show, and getting enough sleep. The list is endless. Creating a routine to incorporate self-care can reduce the percentage rate of burnout.
According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, burnout is “physical, emotional or mental exhaustion, accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance and negative attitudes towards oneself and others.” Burnout occurs when a person overworks or becomes overly stressed daily.
When you are constantly on the go with a million different tasks and activities, it is essential to take some time for yourself to do something for you that allows you to breathe. I like to take fifteen minutes in the morning to do a quick meditation as soon as I wake up. This helps me start my day off with a positive mindset. I also incorporate breathing activities between client sessions to ground myself throughout the day.
Self-care is also a great tool to share with others. It allows more people to be aware of its benefits. Remember, self-care is for everyone! It leads to a happier and healthier way of living.
Take a moment to pause and reflect on three activities you enjoy doing. Now find a time in your day, even five minutes, maybe an hour, where you can wait for a moment and put yourself first—got that? Now, please do it! Start small. Building a routine or adding something unusual may seem challenging at first, but it will get easier once you start! The more you practice, the easier it gets, so start now! Do yourself a favor and start incorporating self-care into your daily lives. You will be glad you did!
Paige Byrd, MSW, LSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at Tekoppel Elementary School in Vanderburgh County. Youth First, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families, providing 90 highly trained mental health professionals (primarily master’s level social workers), prevention programs, parent engagement coordinators, and bilingual support personnel to 120 schools across 13 Indiana counties. Over 60,000 youth and families per year are served by Youth First’s school-based social work and community programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success. To learn more about Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org or call 812-421-8336.
