Self-care is taking care of yourself, to improve your physical, mental, and emotional well being. The purpose of this article is to encourage everyone especially parents of children with special needs to take time and enjoy some self care. For parents to look after their children, they must be well enough, thus the adage “Health is wealth.” Some people are of the opinion that self care is being selfish or self indulgence, this is not so. As a parent of a child with special needs, you need to create time to look after your self to enable you to manage stress, reduce your chances of break down, avoid burnout, and enjoy some “me” time.
Self care comes in different forms, it can be social, which gives you the opportunity to enjoy time with friends and family, to connect, engage and build relationship. It can be physical whereby you dedicate some time to walk, jog or eat food that nourishes the body. Self care can be spiritual, whereby you do meditation, connect with nature or through religion. There is mental self care which gives you the opportunity to do things that keep your mind and spirit at alert, doing puzzles, reading a book or anything that makes you to be healthy mentally. Self care can be emotional, for emotional self care, one needs to nurture, heal, and process feelings. As we take care of our physical, social, and mental health, we also need to take care of our emotional health.
Here are 7 great ways to practice self-care:
- Make rest, portion of your self-care schedule.
- Work out every day as portion of your self-care schedule.
- Eat right for self-care.
- Take a self-care trip.
- Take a self-care break by going outside.
- Watch out for yourself by getting organized.
- Cook a healthy meal to care for yourself.
Examples of self care:
- Move Your Body: Moving your body, it doesn’t have to be a strenuous work out. Something as straightforward as a brief yoga, stretching can be beneficial, and there is bounty of classes online.
- Write It Down/ Journaling: By composing or penciling your contemplations and sentiments in a diary, you can fathom issues and handle data more successfully. If your top priority is figuring out how to diminish stress, composing in an organizer could be an incredible way to keep your obligations without requiring depending on memory.
- Get Outside: Studies have proven that investing more than two hours outside each week is good for your health. Whether it is playing with your dog, doing a few works outside, within the garden, or taking a walk through your city, investing time in nature is one of the least demanding (and cheapest!) ways to get a break.
- Flex Those Mental Muscles: Challenging your intellect does not sound like an unwinding movement, but it can be. Playing chess, board games, listening to music, perusing a book, or working on a crossword are forms of flexing and reducing stress.