Self-care has never been more important than it is right now.
After living through a worldwide pandemic, my hope is that everyone, everywhere has learned to take care of themselves. I know that’s a lofty goal, because our society tells us to spend our entire lives working away, and social media tells us to spend every moment looking at a screen. No matter how great your job is, or how much you enjoy Youtube, neither of those things will ever bring true happiness or peace of mind.
Peace of mind comes from taking care of yourself, learning to enjoy your own company, and spending time on things that actually matter. Learning what methods of self-care bring you peace is tantamount to living a happy life.
The good news is, it’s never too late to learn how to practice self-care. Here are five suggestions to get you started:
Commit to your hobbies. If you don’t have any hobbies, go out and get some! Making time for things that you actually love to do is very important. Finding out what you like to do is even more important. Commit to spending time on your hobbies a few times every week, and your life will drastically improve.
READ MORE: Do You Need a Self-Care Checklist?
Commit to your fitness. Fitness has been scientifically proven to help improve your mental health, as exercise releases endorphins. Turn your fitness into a habit and you won’t just look better, you will feel better.
Make time for other People. Take inventory of your life. Delete the people who don’t spark joy in you. Make time in your life for the people that do. Sometimes a little human connection is exactly what the soul needs to heal.
Make time for yourself. Are you the kind of person who always has to be around other people? Ever wonder if you are running away from something? Spending time by yourself (on purpose) is one of the healthiest things you can do, because no matter how ‘woke’ we are, there is always more room for self-reflection. Even taking a long drive to check in with yourself mentally can do wonders for your state of mind.
Learn to love silence. We live in a world with lots of distractions. When was the last time you just turned everything off and stared into space, in complete silence? It is in those moments when there is nothing to distract you, that you can find the most peace and clarity.
If you learn to embrace silence, chances are you will also find gratitude. Practicing gratitude is one of the highest forms of self-care.