Don’t Forget About You! Top Tips on Practising Self Care

Self care is really important to our wellbeing, but something we often forget to do. Here are a few things to consider when it comes to taking good care of yourself.

Have you taken time out to concentrate on yourself lately? With our busy lives, we can often forget about looking after our own wellbeing, particularly if we care for someone else. Some of us even feel guilty or indulgent when we take time out to concentrate on our own happiness.

But self care isn’t selfish. Doing the things that boost your mental or physical health is really important for living a balanced, contented life. Whatever you do to make yourself feel good, a little bit of self care goes a long way.

Including self care in your daily life

So, how do you fit some ‘me time’ into your day? It can feel impossible sometimes, either because you’re too busy, or because you don’t even know where to start, but even the smallest steps can set you on the right path.

1. Schedule time for yourself. Scheduling your ‘me time’ is a good idea, otherwise it can get lost in the millions of other things you’ve got going on during your day. If you can schedule a reasonable period of time, that’s ideal. If not, even grabbing 5 minutes when you can is better than nothing at all. Use those spare moments to make yourself a priority.
2. Think about the things you love to do. What makes you happy? What helps you relax? What helps you ‘zone out’ and forget about everything else for a while? Equally, it’s good to identify all the things you don’t want to do and see how many you can realistically eliminate from your day.
3. Make it easy. Get prepared so that doing what you love doesn’t take a lot of effort to get started. If you have a hobby, make sure all the things you need are easily accessible. If you want to see friends, plan your get together in advance.
4. Don’t forget the basics. In its simplest form, self care means looking after of our basic needs like eating well, getting enough sleep and taking care of our personal hygiene and appearance. Just keeping these simple things ticking over can make a massive difference to how you feel.
5. Connect with others. Humans are social animals, so spending time with friends, family or at social groups is a good way to boost your mood. Choose your company wisely though – being around people who don’t help your wellbeing can be as detrimental as not seeing anyone!
6. Include spending time in nature in your plans. Going for a walk, sitting in the sun, doing some gardening – any contact with the natural world has been shown to really help boost your mood. So, if you can include a bit of time or activity outdoors, all the better.
7. Make sure others know about it. If they’re not involved in your self care time, tell your friends and family that you’re taking a break and ask them not to disturb you. Having other people respect your space is really important.
8. Don’t feel guilty! There’s nothing wrong with putting yourself first sometimes. If you don’t address your own needs, your physical and mental health will suffer. So, be as kind to yourself as you are to others.

Get a helping hand

Of course, if you’re living with a health condition or disability, it can sometimes be hard to practise a bit of self care. In that case, it’s a good idea to ask for some extra help – whether that’s from family and friends, local support groups or a homecare agency like Bluebird Care Clapham & Streatham.

As well as helping you do the things you love, we can also help with all the practical chores, giving you more time to enjoy your favourite pastimes. We’re also here to help carers recharge their batteries and take a break from their responsibilities.

If you’d like to know more about how we can help you live life to the full, get in touch with us. We can do everything from popping in when you need us, to respite care or full-time live-in support. So, whatever you need, we’re here to give you a helping hand.

For more information on self care, visit the Self Care Forum website.