Self-care refers to any activity that we engage in to maintain and nourish our health, including mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. While it may seem like an obvious concept, self-care often gets cast aside for more pressing priorities such as work, family and the everyday pressures of life. There are many reasons why you should prioritise self-care and we’ve listed six of the most important below.
1. Improves mood - Investing time in your care can have a major impact on your mood, leading to greater optimism, positivity and productivity. It will help you to feel happier, more satisfied and better able to cope with the challenges that life throws your way. Even taking a small amount of time per week to nurture your physical, emotional and mental health can be hugely beneficial to your mood.
2. Helps relationships - Self-care helps you to be the best person you can be, which in turn has a positive impact on your relationships. Taking regular time to invest in your health allows you to be happier and more stable as an individual. This has a flow-on effect as it allows you to be more patient and accommodating with others and therefore have and develop better relationships.
3. Decreases risk of burnout - We all lead busy lives and regular investment in self-care is necessary to avoid burnout. Find a form of self-care that works for you, whether that be exercising, spending time with family or getting a massage, and commit to engaging in it regularly. It will help to manage your stress and prevent burnout.
4. Makes you more present - Spending time managing yourself allows you to become more present and engaged with your surroundings. You are likely to have a better understanding of what it takes to maintain your mental, physical and emotional health, thus resulting in you having a greater focus on your current mood and triggers that have the potential to impact your health.
5. Better performance - Self-care is often seen as indulgent when in fact, it can have a much broader impact. Looking after yourself helps to maintain your health, which in turn allows you to perform better in all aspects of your life: work, family, sport, and many more.
6. Increases quality of life - The overarching benefit of self-care is that it increases the quality of your life. By helping you to be healthier, have better relationships and be more present, self-care allows you to live a more fulfilling life.