Moms, Why Does Self-Care Matter? It’s A Great Way To Deal With Stress And Anxiety

Moms, the term ‘self- care’ has become a popular buzzword all over the press and internet. Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba have expanded their fame into becoming trailblazer entrepreneurs in the health and wellness field. Traditionally, women have been way more active in this pastime, with women having spa days, getting their nails painted, having natural beauty, holistic care and make up sessions (on that latter note, don’t forget the reusable make-up pad removers – let’s keep it green…), beauty treatments whilst meeting with their girlfriends.

It's not hard to understand why self care is so popular once you've been for a thorough Massage when you're feeling tight and stressed out. It's not always easy being the women of the house, so massage treatments are not a foreign concept to many women who need to unwind and relax a little bit. While they're popular universally, demand isn't quite the same for men, but it definitely should be to reduce their stress levels and let their bodies recover.

You should also emphasize the need for this type of self-care to the men in your life. This is really important in today’s post-pandemic, worn-torn times. In fact, men suffer more issues, in the form of mental and physical stress and that in turn is leading to a much higher suicide rate in men than in women. Men are almost 3 times more likely to take own lives than women.

With so much information out there about self-care, you may be confused as to what it actually means. Whilst you do need to take care of yourself, it actually goes much deeper. Here is a guide about the meaning of ‘self-care’, why it matters to you and your loved ones. Let’s dive in.

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care covers many aspects of caring for yourself, including nurturing your body, mind and spirit. The idea is to build up your internal resources. The idea is to treat yourself with kindness and compassion – do not confuse this with “having a good time” and letting off steam with self-destructive coping mechanisms such as using drugs, drinking, gambling or retail therapy! Short-term fixes like this are harmful and will lead you away from the state of self-awareness that you truly need to deal with stress and anxiety.

The Health Benefits of Self-Care

There are many benefits to practicing self-care:

the energy that you spend caring for others can get depleted – self-care replenishes those reserves of energy

getting a sense of your self-worth, providing you with improved self-esteem and a more positive outlook

insight into what you require to the best version of yourself.

it creates an environment where you are better able to deal with stress and to prioritize what’s important to you.

it enables you to be able care of others, because your own needs have been catered for and respected first. 

Here Are Examples Of Self-Care

In its simplest form, self-care can be any activity that provides health, wellness and mindfulness that makes you happy. Once again, no short term unhealthy fixes here. The key is that you find the activity to choose activities that are both enjoyable and are good for you. Here are examples:

Going for a walk or hiking

Yoga

Running

Going to the gym

Meditation

Writing or journaling your thoughts

Hanging out with friends for a chat (but make sure that you decline social events when you feel rundown)

Make Self-Care A Habit

Any new habit can be tricky to implement. As a new habit, adding self-care into your life can seem tricky. Time is always in short supply and you’ll probably wonder how you’ll manage to find time to do anything extra for yourself. To get started with intention, add the activity into predictable parts of your day, as you have to commit to doing it regularly. So remember:

Choose activities that are meaningful to you and that you enjoy.

Make a list of activities that you enjoy and keep a journal or calendar of when you complete them

Keep the activates convenient to your schedule so that you do not feel pressured –maybe use your lunch break

If you miss your self-care activity, don’t panic – be flexible and commit to doing it at the next convenient time

We hope this quick guide will help set you up on your self-care journey – let us know how you get on in the comments below.