Are you feeling overwhelmed at work or at home? Do you find yourself constantly going over lists of things you need to get done while you’re trying to relax, sleep or spend time with your loved ones? Have you stopped doing things you enjoy to try and get ahead of the things you need to do? Can you feel yourself spiralling and can’t stop? 

When we’re stressed, the time we used to set aside to rest and indulge in the things we enjoy is usually the first thing to get scrapped. But getting rid of self-care and ignoring what you need can only serve to make your stress even more uncontrollable. The benefits of self-care, of listening and prioritising our physical and mental wellbeing, cannot be overstated. Intertwining self-care into our daily routine can not only have huge benefits on our mental health, but research suggests that the more we practice self-care, the more productive, confident and creative we become. So not only can self-care help reduce your overwhelming stress to more manageable levels, studies have found that it can help us perform better at work and at home as well.

So why do we often equate taking time to ourselves as self indulgent, selfish or lazy? 

It isn’t selfish to set time aside for yourself and self-care isn’t just about indulging yourself with a shopping trip or treat-yourself day. Fundamentally, self-care is about taking time to support and protect your mental health. And even if your self-care does manifest itself as a mani-pedi and online shopping, you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking care of yourself. In fact, it’s necessary for your health, wellbeing and sustainability.

It can be difficult, especially as self-care means identifying and meeting your own needs, something we women can often struggle with. It’s no secret that we tend to put others first, whether that’s our children, spouse, parents, friends or even our work. And while self-care doesn’t mean we have to ignore those things, it does mean we need to take some time to shift our priorities, even if it’s just for a little while. It’s important and not just for our state of mind.

Chronic stress can wreak havoc on our health. It weakens our immune systems and makes us more susceptible to colds, weight gain, sleep issues, stomach ulcers, anxiety, depression, diabetes and heart disease. And it’s not just our physical health that we need to worry about. The physiological changes that result from prolonged stress are reinforced by some of the poor choices we can make when we feel like we’re at the end of our rope. Being too tired to cook proper meals can result in skipped meals, irregular eating schedules and bingeing on junk food and alcohol - all of which can contribute to obesity and ill health. Lack of sleep due to stress can lead to reduced mental focus at work, loss in productivity, mood swings, irritability and it can affect our personal relationships as well. All of which can contribute to even more stress, poor sleep and general unhappiness.

That’s why self-care is so important. We treat the people we value with love, respect and kindness, so why shouldn’t we do the same for ourselves.

Of course it can be hard to immediately start prioritising our health and happiness after going so long without it. So you can start by taking some time each day to pause. Step away from the things that cause you stress and take a moment to recenter yourself. Find activities that promote inner peace and calm, that allow you to unwind from stress and refocus your mind. You could use your lunchtimes to spend time in nature by gardening or walking barefoot in the grass or sand.

Or you could take a pause at the end of the day and try a relaxing mineral salt bath with an aromatherapy candle.

How about starting your day with some yoga poses or guided meditation?

Self-care is all about you, so try a few different things and find what works best. You can take these pauses at any point in the day; whether that’s the morning to harness your energy and attention, the middle of the day to take a pause from your work to help refocus your mind, or maybe it’s at the end of the day to help separate you from your work stress. Whenever or however you choose to take these stress-relieving pauses, they can work to quiet your mind, balance your hormones (including the stress hormone cortisol), lower your blood pressure and improve your brain health and mental focus.

We all deserve to be healthy, both physically and mentally. So give yourself permission to look after yourself. 

Stop and take three slow breaths right now.

Listen closely...

What do you need to be well today?