Do you want to know if self-care makes you happy? Absolutely yes. I want to know if self-care can make me happy.
Years ago, my comprehension of the significance of self-care was limited until I became a parent. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of parenthood, but it also engendered novel emotions and stressors that were previously unfamiliar to me.
To cope with my stress levels, I decided to engage in the physical activity of running and started preparing for my inaugural participation in a half-marathon.
I frequently jest with my family and acquaintances about my inclination to engage in a 13.1-mile run to attain tranquility and alone.
In addition, I prioritized cultivating my friendships and establishing new interpersonal connections. I prioritized the organization of social gatherings only for female acquaintances, colloquially referred to as “girls’ nights,” and concurrently engaged in a novel pastime involving the participation in activities facilitated by Thirty-One Gifts Inc.
This endeavor allowed me to venture outside the confines of my residence and establish connections with unfamiliar individuals.
However, it is not the entirety of the matter. Please continue reading as I will go into self-care and its impact on personal happiness.
ALSO READ – How Does Self-Care Benefit You
Now let’s get started.
How Does Self-Care Affect Happiness
Clinical studies have shown that putting self-care into your daily routine can help lower or eliminate feelings of anxiety, sadness, and stress, and boost your happiness, among other things.
It can make it easier to adjust to new situations, strengthen your connections, and bounce back after experiencing a setback.
A national poll of Americans found that the benefits of self-care include:
· Improved levels of self-confidence (64 per cent).
· Better levels of productivity (67 per cent).
· Happiness (71 per cent).
Regarding physical health, practicing self-care lowers one’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer.
A few examples of self-care goals are as follows:
1. Ensure you’re taking care of your physical and mental wellness.
2. Learn to manage and cut back on your stress.
3. Be aware of the needs you have, both emotionally and spiritually.
4. Cultivate and maintain your existing ties.
5. Strive to strike a healthy balance in the various aspects of your life.
For the sake of your general health and well-being, the self-care activities you choose to engage in should assist you in striking a healthy balance in many aspects of your life.
The Emotional, Spiritual, Intellectual, Physical, Environmental, Financial, Occupational, and Social Dimensions of Wellness have been Identified by SAMHSA as the Eight Dimensions of Wellness to Help Individuals Focus on Optimum Health.
ALSO READ – How Much Self-Care Is Too Much
What Does Self-Care Look Like
Some forms of care for oneself, sometimes referred to as “baseline self-care,” are essential.
Some forms of essential or required self-care are:
· have a good night’s rest.
· Exercising.
· Consuming healthy, sustaining food.
· Taking in many sips of water.
Your preferences and needs will determine the specifics of your self-care routine. Finding out what makes you happy is essential since the things that make someone else happy may make you unhappy.
Self-care strategies may consist of but are not limited to, the following:
· A stroll is in order.
· Nature-based activities.
· Fifteen minutes of sunbathing (lying down or sitting).
· Keeping a thankfulness diary.
· Taking a break to read a book.
· Learning something new by enrolling in a course or binge-watching a YouTube video.
· Attempting therapeutic activities like yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, etc.
· Participating in artistic pursuits such as writing, drawing, playing an instrument, or dancing.
· Try to do something you like every day.
· When we “should” be working or caring for others, it’s easy to feel guilty about putting our needs first and taking some time off.
· We must always keep in mind that it is impossible to fill an empty vessel.
· When we force ourselves to, we risk becoming tired, frustrated and burned out.
ALSO READ – How Self-Care Improves Mental Health
What Are The Five Benefits Of Self-Care
There are several scientifically documented advantages of practicing self-care. Aside from the apparent advantage of simply FEELING better, here are a number of surprising perks I discovered as I increased my self-care:
1. Slowing down allows you to be more productive.
Slowing down may take many different shapes. Examples are saying no to obligations that don’t benefit you, making time in your day for yoga or coffee with a buddy, or just taking a few deep breaths before a meeting.
These behaviors bring us back to the present moment and assist us in refocusing on what is essential.
When my to-do list exceeds my daughter’s Christmas wish list, and I find myself browsing through Facebook, I know it’s time to re-center and re-prioritize. Frequently, I need to prioritize self-care before returning to the remainder of my to-do list.
2. Self-care can enhance your immune system.
What do taking vitamins/supplements, getting enough rest, exercising, practicing mindfulness, and relaxing in a hot bath have in common?
All of them stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. When you engage the PNS, your body enters rest + restore’ mode, allowing our bodies to decompress from our often frantic everyday lives.
The more we can include these activities into our routines, the better we will be able to manage our stressful lifestyle, and the less time we will have to spend being ‘busy.’
All of this allows the body to fortify its defenses against those nasty cold germs that we prefer to assault when we’re at our most vulnerable.
I saw a significant reduction in sick days after implementing a regular self-care practice. Not to mention the link I saw in my energy levels!
3. Self-care increases self-compassion.
It’s simple: the better you feel, the better you care for yourself. Instead of dismissing our sorrow or self-criticism, self-compassion is treating ourselves with care and understanding when we hurt, fail, or feel inadequate.
When I began to pay attention to the voices in my brain, I realized that I would never speak to a loved one the way I was speaking to myself.
Recognizing your self-talk is a type of self-care in and of itself. When we treat ourselves with love and compassion, we see the world differently, as part of the communal human experience rather than in isolation (aka the “why me” voice). Self-care will undoubtedly lead to more self-compassion.
4. You’ll discover your true identity. How often have you thought, “What do I enjoy doing?” What gets me going? What can I do for myself to feel better?
Many of us can quickly answer this, but many need help too. As we age and leave ‘childhood’ behind, we are programmed to believe that play is for children and that doing too much for oneself is selfish.’ At the very least, they were some of the ideas I picked up along the road. I lost touch with myself and began looking for fulfilment elsewhere.
I’ve entirely reconnected with myself since my world was opened up to self-care, what it was, and how important it was. I can now confidently answer such questions and know what to do when feeling out of sync.
How Does Self-Care Improve Mood
Self-awareness practice can help you detect emotional patterns, such as situations that can exacerbate symptoms.
It can also aid in determining which activities or chores are essential for your well-being, alleviate unpleasant symptoms of mental disease or stress, or provide joy or relaxation.
1. Determine what is important to you. Pose difficult questions to yourself to find the things that are most important to you. Your responses should guide your way of life. Tracking your priorities might help you plan your time.
2. Alter your mentality. Too often, we focus on the problems while failing to appreciate the beauty surrounding us.
Keep the wonderful memories close to your heart. Spend more time in silence and meditation. Adopting a grateful mentality can help you achieve the maximum degree of self-care.
3. Perform a brief mental inventory of your physique. While deep breathing, examine your entire body, releasing tension as you find it.
Examine your posture and make any required adjustments. It simply takes a few seconds and can result in an immediate change.
4. Sleep and relaxation are essential components of any self-care program. Maintain good sleeping patterns and pay attention to your body’s demands.
Daytime naps are also an excellent method to recharge and increase attention. Your body requires rest and renewal.
5. Engage in some exercise. The body and mind are inextricably linked. Regular exercise has been found in studies to enhance serotonin levels considerably, increasing mood and energy.
While 30 minutes of moderate daily activity is suggested, this may only sometimes be practicable. Concentrate on obtaining as much exercise as possible; even a short stroll to the mailbox is preferable to doing nothing.
6. Develop healthy eating habits. Eating regularly might help you feel better. While proper eating is beneficial, eating something every day is also beneficial.
ALSO READ – Self-Care Vs Self-Indulgence
Why Do I Love Self-Care
Putting self-love into practice daily improves your physical and mental health. It enables you to become a better version of yourself and be more present and presentable for the people in your life. Practicing self-care can also:
· You may alleviate your tension and worry by keeping your thoughts busy.
· Enhance your mental capabilities, particularly through self-care activities such as mindfulness.
· Give them time alone, as this has been shown to stimulate creativity and boost productivity and empathy.
· Boost your energy levels.
How Do I Start Self-Care
Now that you’ve decided to start the road to healing, here are some tools to help you along the way.
Finding tools and making plans will help you be more ready and give you the power to do something about your recovery.
Here are some good things to do:
1. It can be hard to set goals for healing, especially if you need to know what you want to do.
Think about your hobbies, what makes you happy, and what keeps you going. Also, think about what you want, like where you want your life to go or what you would do more if you could. Having a strong interest in your goals will make it more likely that you will reach them.
2. After you’ve made goals for yourself, you need to figure out what you need to do to reach those goals.
Think about why you want to reach this goal and how your life will change when you do. It would help if you also thought about your skills and strengths that will help you reach your goal.
Try to get the help you need from the people and tools you need to get through the process. Lastly, keep your mind on the goal and not any problems you may have.
Keep an open mind and know that you may run into problems. Recovery is challenging, and thinking about the wrong things will only make it more challenging.
3. Keep track of your goals by making a log or album with pictures and articles.
A journal or scrapbook is an excellent way to keep track of your goals and remember what you’ve done and still want to do.
Keep adding new goals as you think of them. Recovery is an ongoing process, and setting new goals will inspire you to get well and stay well.
ALSO READ – What Are Self-Care Activities
Final Thought
Now that we established that self-care makes you happy, also know that Taking care of yourself is not selfish or a waste of time.
We can’t help others if we have nothing to give. We need to take care of our needs first, and then we can share what we have left over.