That title seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? It’s strange, however, that so many of us neglect to look after ourselves properly. We go to the dentist and let them sort out our poor dental hygiene, or we simply ask the doctor for a quick fix whenever we get some form of bodily problem. Nonetheless, some health issues are beyond our control; we get older and we start to deteriorate. However, there’s a lot you can do to take hold of the reins which control your life. Self-care is the most important form of healthcare because you shouldn’t be leaving the state of your health up to other people. Self-care is a way of thinking about others; if you often get colds or illnesses because you’re unhygienic, for example, then you’ll be passing on those colds to your loved ones and it would’ve been completely avoidable. The way in which you look after yourself does impact others. So, here are some ways to take better care of number 1.
Sensory health
Let’s talk about some aspects of your health you may neglect. Perhaps you eat healthily and exercise, to some extent, but those two things aren’t the only elements of a healthy lifestyle. You need to think about your senses, especially when it comes to considering your future health as well as your health in the present moment. There are treatments for hearing loss that might help your declining situation before it becomes too serious. You should also make sure you don’t counteract poor hearing by turning up the volume on devices; this will only increase the amount of damage even if you don’t realise how loud something sounds.
Getting older
Of course, one of the most important things you need to think about in life is your age. It’s the one thing you can’t change. As mentioned earlier, we all get older, and the health problems will come with aging are unavoidable. Of course, that’s not entirely true. The better you look after yourself, as discussed throughout this article, the more you can do to ensure your mind and body are healthy in the future. Still, if you’re starting to notice in your later life (perhaps even in mid-life) that your body or mind don’t work as well as they used to then you might want to look into specialist care. It’s important to make decisions to safeguard yourself and your loved ones whilst your mind is strong and rational. The key to self-care is to protect yourself not only today but tomorrow, so if you start to notice that you’re not coping too well then you might want to see a doctor and figure out what plans you should make for the future.
The mind
Finally, it’s important to realise that self-care centres on the mind. If you want to really look after yourself then you need to start with your mental health. You need to take stock of your lifestyle. Do you have the right balance between work and your social life? These are the things you should think about even if you’re still relatively young. Yes, it’s important to work to make a living, but there’s no point in pushing yourself harder if it’s doing damage to your physical and mental wellbeing. Your health should be the most important thing in your life. You need to work on looking after your mind. Trying out meditative techniques can help but, on a simpler level, finding more time for loved ones can make all the difference. Use an online psychologist such as BetterHelp to gain a better perspective of your thoughts and worries, and focus on the things which matter in life.
