Guest Post
Recently, a wonderful post about Self-Care was presented to me by Brad Krause of SelfCaring.info. I realized this post was the perfect compliment to all we’ve been discussing through the month of October – Change. It’s especially relevant this week with all my talk about goals and mindset!
Please enjoy this wonderful post by Brad. You can learn more about Brad at the end of the article.
Self-Care Has Mental Health Benefits
You’re up at 5 a.m. every day when the dogs start barking. Next comes making breakfast for your kids and driving them to school. Then knocking out eight hours at your job, coordinating with your spouse to pick up the kids, and coming home to cook dinner, worrying about bills and prepping for the next Groundhog Day. Stressed out? You’re not alone.
Polls currently place the stress levels of most Americans at their highest point in recent memory. Other sources show that suicide and mental illness is on the rise, just as access to medical treatment for those conditions is declining. A surefire remedy for alleviating all of your anxieties doesn’t exist. But here are some basic but overlooked strategies to cultivate mental health and help manage the pressures in your life.
Be Mindful (and Saying No)
A good way to reduce your stress is by saying “no.” Oftentimes, we try overhauling our problems by powering through work, blitzing the competition, or tackling new challenges. Instead, set boundaries. Some upsides of saying no include being twice as productive, carving out time for yourself and becoming more self-disciplined. The essential idea here is to be mindful. Accept your experiences, good or bad, rather than reeling your mind back and forth between what has happened and what might be.
Slow Down
All that sounds nice, but sort of pie in the sky. What, concretely, does it mean to be “mindful”? First off, be still. Be aware of your surroundings. When you’re eating, savor the steam, the smells and the flavors of your food. When you’re walking, don’t hurry, but notice each crack threaded through the sidewalk. Also, do the things you love – reading, journaling and gardening – so that when you look up from what you’re doing, you’re surprised that hours have flown by.
Another stress-reduction practice from this list that can make a world of difference is doing deep-breathing exercises, which calms our mind, slows our heart rate and decreases our blood pressure and muscle tension. Additionally, it places us firmly in the present, which is the essence of mindfulness.
Snooze!
The demands of our schedule frequently necessitate that we go to bed at midnight and wake up again when our alarm blares at 5 a.m. But, if possible, try to always get eight hours of sleep a night. Research from Harvard has shown that sleep revitalizes our memory, metabolism, learning retention, and immunology properties.
Sleep soothes a nexus of our vital systems – everything from growth to appetite to heart health to cortisol, the hormone that regulates, yes, our stress levels, so invest in your bedroom to make it as comfortable as possible. Fluff those pillows. Try to purchase bedding with a high thread count. Paint the walls white so that the room seems light and airy. Whatever you do, be sure that the sleep you get is deep and restful.
Eat Healthy
Eating right whittles down your waistline and keeps you trim and full of energy. Those are the physical pros. But research has shown that a healthy, balanced diet enhances our thinking and memory, and helps reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders. Don’t fall for diet fads. Feed your body right by cutting out sugary foods, including soda and pre-packaged snack bars. Eat a variety of animal-based protein and wild-caught fish, vegetables, colorful berries, and healthy fats such as olive oil and avocados.
Cultivate Mental Health
The truth is that an essential helplessness is woven into adult life, and some of your stressors might abate, but will still continue, no matter how you treat them. Cultivating mental health can be onerous. But it’s a worthwhile feat, because turning your mind into a sanctuary space can help you navigate the turbulence of adult life.
More About Brad
Brad Krause graduated from college in 2010 and went straight to the corporate world at the headquarters of a popular retail company. But what started as a dream job soured quickly. After four years of working 15-hour days and neglecting his health, he decided enough was enough. Through aiding a friend during a tough time, Brad discovered his real calling-helping people implement self-care practices that improve their overall wellbeing. He created SelfCaring.info to share his own knowledge and the many great resources he finds on his self-care journey.
Be well,
I’m Amy a board certified holistic nutritionist, certified functional nutritionist and lifestyle practitioner and certified Life Coach. I help women in midlife understand the changing needs of their body so that they can stop dieting and lose weight permanently. At 56 I live what I teach. Don’t believe the story that your best years are behind you. They are not. Your best years are just starting!