Self-Care Wards Off Anxiety
By BRAD KRAUSE
Roughly 40 million Americans over the age of 18 suffer from anxiety — that’s nearly 18 percent of the population. You may know someone who fits into that group. In fact, you could become a member yourself if you’re not careful.
You deal with pressure from your boss and colleagues at work, then come home to discover a mess that needs cleaning or a dinner that needs cooking. In between, you’re constantly glued to your smartphone with its endless series of messages, calls, and alerts that keep you on your toes, unable to calm down and enjoy your free time.
Luckily, there’s a way to stay on an even keel. It’s called self-care, and this practice consists of ways that not only improve your physical health but work wonders for your mind. Here’s a closer look at what those practices are and how they help you stay on top mentally.
SAYING NO
A writer with the Mighty says it’s the most important part of self-care. When you habitually say “yes,” you’re constantly doing work for other people and devaluing your own desires and goals. Remember that you matter, and so does your time.
DECLUTTERING
You may feel stressed about this, but getting rid of clutter in your home can actually make you feel less anxious. A cleaner environment can promote better sleep and achieve inner peace as well. A good place to start is your bedroom; organizing the closet and drawers and throwing away anything you no longer need can make your sanctuary more serene and inviting. After you declutter, the next step is deep cleaning the home to get rid of all the dirt and dust. You can relax and let a cleaning service take care of this for you, which costs an average of $145 - $242 on the Connecticut shoreline.
RELAXING & SLEEPING
Relax by taking a hot bath or getting a massage, and the results are the same: The tension exits your body and mind, leaving you at rest, unplagued by worries. Sleeping,meanwhile, allows you to wake up with energy when you spend between seven to nine hours a night in peaceful slumber. Suddenly, the day’s tasks don’t seem so overwhelming, and you can tackle each item on your “to do” list one by one — and with brio.
EXERCISING & MEDITATION
Not only does exercising burn off calories, but you’ll also get an endorphin rush that lifts your mood at the end of every workout. It’s a fantastic way to start the day or burn off some excess energy after work. The average cost of a gym membership is $58 a month, but you can save by
setting up a home gym with some simple workout equipment. Meditation, on the other hand, provides peace of mind and relief from stress. As a result, this ancient practice offers is gaining popularity. It’s easy to do at home by designing your own private space away from distractions.
TRAVELING
Adventure reminds you of how wonderful it is to be alive while you escape the stressors
of your everyday life back home. Psychology Today says it gives you the
goal of “living for its own sake.” Although not exhaustive, that list covers the basics.
REMAINING CALM
Calmness is what you get when you turn off that “fight or flight” response that’s activated when something goes wrong, whether it’s a shouting client or spilled coffee. Suddenly, you can breathe easily and deal with these problems without getting upset.
RESILIENCE & CONFIDENCE
Resilience is the capacity to stay strong and recover quickly from setbacks. This comes in
useful on a daily basis, as there’s so much going on that you can’t control. Others will notice your strength in the face of adversity, and that could pay off socially and professionally.
Confidence, however, is almost as important as resilience. As one psychotherapist writing for HealthyPlace says, “When you avoid things that make you feel mentally and physically well, you deplete your self-worth.” Once you get your confidence back through self-care, you’ll be ready
to move on with your life goals, knowing you can achieve them.
CLARITY
Clarity is something you need to ensure you’re moving forward in the right direction with all the steps along the way carefully plotted into your daily planning. That’s much easier without
constant stress and self-doubt clouding your vision.
This is what a healthy mind is made of, and it’s available to you with a few simple changes to your routine. There’s no reason to wait as you can head out for a jog right now.
Image via Pixabay
Here are the links:
40 million Americans
most important part
getting rid of clutter
$145 - $242
taking a hot bath
seven to nine hours
$58 a month
private space
gives you the goal
deal with these problems
you deplete your self-worth
self-doubt
Brad Krause is a life coach and writer/owner of selfcaring.info/. To learn more about him, click here: http://selfcaring.info/.
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