Modern-day life is demanding and exhausting, overwhelming us with innumerable chores that leave little time for self-care. It’s hard to muster the energy for self-pampering sessions when you return home exhausted after a long day.
Do you feel domestic responsibilities or work-related activities consume your life? Do you struggle to make time for skincare, relaxation, and physical activity in your daily routine? When did you last spend an entire day doing nothing except relishing alone or hanging out with friends?
Succeeding and thriving in the professional sphere is important, but not if this success comes at the cost of your health. Creating a healthy work-life balance is the first step toward regaining control of your physical and mental health. You can achieve balance by setting priorities and ending unrewarding patterns of self-neglect.
Read on to explore practical ways to regain control and prioritize your mental and physical well-being.
1. Keep Track of Medications and Risk Factors
Managing medications, risk factors, and symptoms can prove overwhelming if you’re diagnosed with an acute or chronic health illness. People struggle to focus on health with day-to-day activities and chores, often losing track of medication schedules. It’s hard to keep track of all the ingredients and food items you’re not supposed to consume to avoid risk factors.
We suggest embracing digital tools, apps, and products that make managing daily responsibilities easier. For instance, use your smartphone to list all the foods you must avoid. Then, scan this list whenever you visit a restaurant or eat out to avoid ordering harmful foods.
Suppose you need to take multiple prescription medications at various times throughout the day. In that case, get a Medicine On Time multi-dose packaging that bundles medications together according to time and date. Missing medication doses or mixing up the time can trigger adverse reactions, worsening symptoms, and denying the relief they’re supposed to give.
Standard pill boxes and storage products don’t help patients keep track of dosage schedules. The multi-dose packaging by Sango Pharmacy is an ingenious invention that allows people to package medicines based on specific timings. The multi-dose packaging will streamline all your morning, noon, evening, and night doses, making tracking considerably easier.
Using apps and alarms to set reminders for exercise sessions, daily water intake, and doctors’ appointments is also helpful.
2. Prioritize Physical Fitness to Enjoy Robust Mental Well-being
Did you know your physical fitness is closely tied to your emotional well-being, sleep quality, and mood? The human body thrives on physical activity and exercise and starts deteriorating with prolonged sedentary patterns. Raising your heart rate and sweating out toxins is crucial to stay in shape and maintain robust mental health.
Research reveals that exercise stimulates the central nervous system (CNS) to release “feel good” chemicals and neurotransmitters. These chemicals, such as dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, are associated with feelings of calmness, happiness, joy, and satisfaction. Have you ever noticed how satisfied you feel after a grueling workout? This satisfaction comes from the influx of happy hormones flooding your brain.
Regular exercise will work wonders at boosting your mental health with improved sleep, healthier sex life, and providing stress relief. Physical activity will also dispel negative thoughts, brimming your mind with positivity.
3. Embrace a Wholesome, Nutrient-Dense Diet
Like physical activity, the body thrives on a wholesome diet rich in antioxidants, fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Feeding your body a combination of unhealthy carbs, trans fat, and saturated fat causes the organs to weaken over time.
We all love eating out and indulging our taste buds with fast food delicacies. But do you remember feeling energetic and good after devouring cheeseburgers, pizzas, and fried chicken? Of course not. These carb-loaded treats cause bloating and inflammation, exposing our organs to life-threatening risk factors. In contrast, a diet rich in fresh fruits, leafy green veggies, lean meats, nuts, and seeds improves physical and mental well-being. Foods with high concentrations of essential nutrients reduce risk factors for physical and mental illnesses, supporting robust immunity.
Designing a healthy, nutrient-dense diet isn’t always about self-depriving and denying your taste buds the flavors they enjoy. You can explore deliciously savory recipes with rich nutrient densities with the right herbs, spices, and garnishings. Switching to homemade meals and limiting your fast food consumption is the first step toward embracing a wholesome diet.
4. Make Time for Self-Care
When did you last take a luxuriating bubble bath with Epsom salts and scented candles to soothe your mind? Do you have a 3-step skincare regime to cleanse, hydrate, and moisturize your skin with occasional exfoliation sessions? Do you make time for journaling to process anxious and negative thoughts and make room for positivity?
Self-care isn’t about booking expensive spa sessions at Helena Rubinstein or splurging hundreds of dollars at Sephora. There is no one-fits-all approach when it comes to taking care of yourself and self-pampering. Everyone has unique emotional and physical needs, demanding a personalized self-care regime.
Ask yourself, ‘What is the best way to care for me?’ Which self-care rituals will bring me happiness, joy, and peace? For some, self-care is about curling up with a good read and not worrying about fleeting deadlines. For others, self-care demands a Zen-like environment with scented candles, soulful music, and good company. Find out what works for you and prioritize it to make self-care a crucial segment of your daily routine.
5. Stay Connected with your Loved Ones
Humans are social creatures who thrive on contact and interaction with other humans. Isolating at home or overwhelming yourself with work can expose you to mental and physical ailments. In contrast, surrounding yourself with the love, care, support, and presence of your loved ones will motivate self-love and fight off self-neglect.
Make time to hang out with your friends and enjoy laughter-filled evenings with your family. Our loved ones are always the best antidotes to the anxieties and stressors that weigh us down and compromise our well-being.
Conclusion
Regaining control of your physical and mental health demands an assessment of the aspects and factors that take away your power. Once you examine the factors that disrupt your sense of control and power, you can address them with practical strategies. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, and when that happens, you need to become kind and compassionate to yourself. Showering yourself with empathy and compassion is the best way to support physical and mental well-being.