When you think of self-care, what comes to your mind?

Self-care is more than just a self-help topic for mental health professionals.

It is a necessary treatment for everyone who has ever experienced a period of self-doubt. In fact self-care is something we all benefit from learning from early on in our lives. The mind and body are closely linked; what we think and the quality of the thoughts that we think all matter. That is why it is critical that we take care of our mental health.

Self-care matters for mental health because it is one of the most effective ways to manage symptoms and improve your mood.

Spending time on self-care activities will help you feel better in the present, and can also have long-term benefits for your mental health. Self-care is about taking care of yourself both physically and mentally.

It includes activities that improve your physical health, such as:

• eating a healthy diet
• getting enough sleep
• exercising regularly

But self-care also includes activities that improve your mental health, such as:

• practicing mindfulness
• journaling
• spending time with loved ones

When you take the time to practice self-care, you’re sending a message to your brain that YOU matter.

You’re telling your brain that you’re worth taking care of and that you deserve to feel good. This self-care message is essential for anyone who has ever struggled with self-doubt or self-esteem issues.

Sleep and rest are not only beneficial to the physical body, but also to our mental ability.

For all of the activities that our brain does unconsciously and consciously, we require adequate rest and regularity in order to recuperate and be able to employ our sharpness, concentration, and focus. When we find ourselves unable to focus or concentrate, it might very well be because we have been sleep-deprived for an extended length of time. This can cause not only mental dysfunction, essentially being unable to focus and concentrate, but it also has a direct influence on the physical body.

Focus on your mindset.

We often focus on external negativity.

This includes things such as:

• watching too much news
• being bombarded with all the negative news
• focusing on all the things that aren’t going well
• the quality of thoughts that we have in our minds
• how we talk to ourselves
• what we’re replaying in our minds over and over

Are you focused on the negative or embracing some form of optimism and positivity in any way that you can? Practicing affirmations or doing powerful visualization in specifically what it is that you do want is a beneficial habit to cultivate.  

Exercise not only your body but also your mind.

Going for a good walk or going for a run really helps clear the mind. Exercising the mind by performing some enjoyable things to keep it alive and vibrant, such as workouts, puzzles, and anything else creative that you can do to assist stimulate that. This is also an element of maintaining your mental wellness.

We have a lot more stressors that are affecting us.

You want to make sure that you take the time and pay attention to how you’re taking care of yourself. Self-care is the most important because if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to care for others. It makes no difference who it is, but you cannot be there for anybody else.

You must first show up for yourself.

Best,

Dr. Asha Prasad
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