Why is self-care important?
ECO EM’S BLOG
WHY IS SELF-CARE IMPORTANT?
We all live in a world that is fast paced and full of deadlines. Offering a never-ending list of to dos and an overwhelming number of tasks.
Whether you work at home or in an office, look after your family or just yourself, life admin as I like to call it, soon adds up. And before you know it the pile is so high; you’d rather not even attempt it.
Now this may just be me talking from personal experience, however, I think it is more important than ever to manage your mental health. Most of us are teetering on the edge of a burn out and yet we push ourselves through the exhaustion regularly.
Taking time to practice a self-care routine allows you to schedule some time for yourself. It promotes self-worth, as you are just as important as everyone else. You take time to stop and appreciate yourself and all you do. It allows space to be mindful and decompress from the day to day.
If you are looking after yourself and have a good relationship with yourself, then this has a knock on effect on all those around you. We’ve all heard the phrase you can’t pour from an empty cup, well if your reserves are empty how can you properly manage the relationships with others in your life. This applies to your partner, children, family, friends, and work colleagues. Anyone you come into contact with.
MOMENTS OF DOWNTIME
Breathe work, yoga, Pilates, sound baths, gong baths, exercise and meditation are on my list of moments of downtime. However, if you don’t have the means to visit classes and subscribe to a gym membership. You can schedule time for yourself in a variety of other ways. The important thing is to make time for yourself.
For example you could run a bath in the evening once the kids have gone to bed, to rest and reset for the following day. Use your favourite skincare to buff and brush away the stress. Enjoy the time you have each night before bed to create a routine that helps you leave the day and start the next as you’d like.
It’s been proven, that practicing self-care can reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. Which are increasing and have been since the pandemic. With the recent events of the cost-of-living crisis and the constant barrage of negative news, it’s no wonder most of us are in a constant state of fight or flight.
The month of May holds Mental Health Awareness Week between 15th and 21st. This is a fantastic opportunity to understand your mental health. This is something we all have, whether good or bad, up days and down. Our mental health is continuously changing, understanding how we feel and what we need is fundamental to managing our health in the best possible way, especially on those down days.
ECO EM’S IS MY PASSION
I think it’s important for me to share my experiences with you all as Eco Em’s is my passion. It’s my place of self-care, zoning out from the noise of the day and drifting off as I create new recipes. I’m in the process of learning what I need and factoring in the time I need to reflect and improve my mental health.
I’ve discovered that talking to people has helped me process emotions I couldn’t regulate on my own. I’ve found counselling has been a huge help for me to understand myself better. Having thought I was suffering from depression and anxiety for a few years following my dad’s death, I’ve later learnt that the traits I’ve shown are all symptoms of ADHD. Which is another chapter I’m now pursuing, in order to better understand myself and what may or may not be a trigger.
I’ll be sharing suggestions throughout the month of May such as, the following websites for help and resources –
www.mind.co.uk
www.betterhelp.com
www.headspace.com
www.calm.com
www.samaritans.org
If you need any help or are feeling like you need to talk to someone don’t hesitate to reach out to your local GP or emergency services if you’re at risk of harming yourself.
Please speak to your loved ones and ask how they truly are, whether you see changes in behaviour or just know they are going through a rough time it can mean everything to someone going through an internal crisis.
If you need any help, advice or support then please send me a message to have a chat.
Thank you for reading this weeks blog, Why is self-care important?
Peace and love,
Eco Em xx
