Quite frequently in life we are told to put others first, and as a consequence we fail to look after ourselves. Perhaps what is of the utmost importance is that we can adopt self-care rituals as a prevention tool, to the benefit of others.
When you begin adopting your own rituals, you may see an immediate boost in your emotions and due to that, you may think that you can stop. You’re wrong. Take the necessary time to ensure you are healthy, happy, and productive.
Alone Time
It can be difficult to find even a second to yourself, but it is necessary to your mental and emotional health. It is not healthy to be surrounded by people constantly – in fact, Psychology Today offers 6 reasons why alone time is healthy.
Perhaps the most telling one is that by spending time alone, you can enhance your relationships with others. How can you know yourself, your thoughts, and your feelings if you don’t take time out to think?
If you are finding it impossible to find alone time, think outside the box. Is there any way you can get up a bit earlier to steal a few moments for yourself? If it means scheduling alone time into your day, do it – whatever it takes.
Journaling
Not only is this an effective way to spend some time on your own, but it’s also an excellent method of stress relief, as discussed in Psychology Today. Whether you choose to adopt this self-care ritual as daily, or use it weekly- it is an effective method of ridding yourself of negative emotions and feelings of anxiety.
You are removing all of those thoughts from your mind and allowing them to flood the paper, thus erasing them from your brain. When you start writing everything tends to come flooding out which could also lead you to a deeper understanding of yourself through a thorough examination of your emotions.
Indulge Your Hobby
The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine examines how effective art can be as a form of therapy. The same thought process can be applied to any hobby, or activity, that brings you enjoyment. It may be knitting, crafting, sculpting, or even baking.
All of these hobbies can be methods of expressing yourself, as well as offering stress relief. If you aren’t the “arty” type and prefer hiking, or water sports, then that’s okay – whatever activity offers value to you is an acceptable activity to indulge yourself in.
Dry Brushing
An Ayurvedic treatment that has been used for thousands of years in India, dry brushing has a number of benefits, as discussed by Ayurvedic specialist Tevis Brower for WebMD.
Not only is it an effective way to remove dead skin cells, but it stimulates your lymphatic and immune systems. It’s incredibly simple to do, too.
All you need a soft bristled dry brush; you should begin with your extremities and work towards your heart. In addition to the health benefits, it serves as a form of meditation as the brusher becomes focused solely on the movements of the brush, thus shutting out the rest of their surrounding environment.
Yoga
The benefits of yoga are clear to see for everyone, so it makes sense that this would be an excellent self-care ritual to adopt. Not only does it offer you time alone to meditate, it has health benefits for both your mind and your body.
Additionally, it offers deep breathing exercises that can be applied during any time of stress. The Art of Living Org breaks down the top 10 benefits that yoga has to offer.
