Self-Care Tips in a Stressful World

In today's world, many of us are bombarded with everyday stressors such as work, school, family and money. As the stress piles up, we sometimes neglect to take care of ourselves resulting in several health problems such as anxiety, anger, depression, and lack of concentration. When we are overstressed and overworked, it not only affects us, but it also affects those that we come in contact with such as clients, co-workers, friends, and family. We can improve our relationships with others by taking care of ourselves. Many people think that that they do not have time to do self-care techniques, but there are several easy things that we can do to try to stay healthy in this stressful world. The following is a list of some of these things:

1. Take breaks: It is very importatn to try to take a short break for yourself while working. A good rule of thumb is to try for 15 minutes every two hours
2. Healthy eating: try to be conscious of eating a healthy diet. This can help you feel better and give you more energy
3. Exercise: come up with an exercise plan and stick to it. Exercise has several health benefits in addition to reducing stress
4. Make time for yourself: make sure that you are doing things that you enjoy both by yourself and with others. It is important to integrate leisure and alone time into your life.
5. Meditate: take meditate breaks.
6. Outdoors and nature: Take a walk, breathe fresh air, enjoy the scenery
7. Learn relaxation techniques that work for you and use them (e.g. yoga, deep relaxation, etc.)
8. Reward yourself for accomplishments. Far too often we neglect to reward ourselves!
9. Make sure you get enough sleep. Sleep is one of the most basic human needs.
10. Don't take on too many tasks: learn to say no
11. Keep your working and living space organized
12. When going home, focus on a good thing that happened that day
13. Take things one day at a time
14. Use your supports (e.g. friends, family, co-workers), they can be very helpful
15. Give yourself extra time to get places. why create the extra stress of running late or missing appointments?
16. Keep a day planner to remember appointments and errands
17. Keep a diary or journal
18. Become aware of stressful thoughts
19. Find a new hobby
20. Be Realistic! Don't expect yourself to be a magician!

Your health should be a priority. These simple things can make a big difference in stress levels and personal health.