In this modern age, people are too busy hustling and making their own lives easier that we barely look after ourselves. Yes we do dress well, use the latest gadgets that technology can provide and even maintain a fit body.
But do we really look after ourselves? Do we really think deeply about more than the obvious?
We all love to look after ourselves. As a matter of fact, self-love comes first. Only then can you project it on to other aspects of life. But how do we really care for ourselves?
There are limitless ways in which we can look after ourselves. But most of them come at a price. At this day and age looking after yourself is expensive most of the time.
Although we are willing to put some effort and spare some time for ourselves, a real mental block is encountered when we think of the expenditure on massages, traveling, facials, pets, entertainment, retail therapy, etc.
So here are some simple ways to pamper yourself without hurting your budget.
1. Me time
Spend some time alone, detached from your friends and family. Choose a corner in your home to chill out and pursue some hobby or do something you love.
Perform a skin care/ hair care regime, take a long bath, solve puzzles, do gardening, play video games, read a book or even watch your favorite T.V. show, read newspaper, go window shopping… anything which helps you to spend some quality time by yourself.
2. Practice Forgiveness
We all have had bad experiences. Even though we heal ourselves, we find it difficult to forgive. Sometimes we do not forgive ourselves for our past misgivings or even continue to feel guilty of not knowing better than to let others mistreat you or hurt you.
Try to let go of as many ‘dark feelings’ about the past happenings as you can. Remember that nobody is perfect. Embrace your imperfections and stop guilt-tripping yourselves.
Try to let go of shame as much as you can. Letting go of certain memories can help you feel less heavy and makes you a better version of yourself with each passing day.
3. Meditate
Meditation helps lower your anxiety and stress levels, regulate hormones, aids in having better sleep, increase concentration, promotes emotional well-being and makes your life better in the long run. Meditation relaxes the muscles and heal you from trauma and lifts your spirits.
You can practice zen meditation and grounding techniques and even use crystals for healing. Listening to subliminal audio tapes can enhance both the experience and the results.
4. Congratulate yourself
Big or small, your efforts need to be recognized. Do not consider getting something done by yourself is insignificant just because others do not appreciate it. If others do not give you enough credit for something, it doesn’t mean you cannot give yourself some.
Find joy in small victories and stop seeking approval from outside. Even though your efforts and good deeds need to be appreciated, do not be too dependent on others opinions. What we think about ourselves matters the most.
Keep a journal to note down every accomplishment of yours – ranging from big achievements to small details… even when you did so much as to finish all the activities in your to-do list.
Gift yourself as a reward once in a while for pushing your own boundaries or improving yourself or becoming better at something than you were earlier.
5. Smile
Try to be more positive about everything… and do it sincerely. When you find yourself worn out due to stress, just force yourself to smile for about 30 seconds. This will help in lifting your spirits effectively.
Sometimes, you will need to be your own best friend and motivate a better attitude. Greet people with a smile on your face, and do not forget to smile at yourself whenever in front of the mirror.
If you are conscious about how you look while smiling, practice for yourself in front of a mirror. Your smile is your asset and your ability to smile from your heart will only yield you positive results
6. Eat healthy
We are what we eat! Monitor your own eating habits and try to be honest to yourself about it. A good diet with punctuality will ensure you a healthier body. Adequate intake of fiber, proteins, vitamins and minerals are essential to your body to function regularly.
It is always preferred to keep your diet as organic and simple as possible. Avoid overcooked, processed, packaged, under-cooked and unhygienic food. Maintain a balance between the amount of solid and liquid foods you consume.
7. Live in the present
Our future is mostly dependent on our present actions. But there are way too many distractions around us. It is very easy to get carried away since we have so much of audio and visual stimulation around us. So our ‘monkey mind’ keeps wandering to existent and non-existent scenarios.
We need to focus less on what is going on in our minds and more on what is going on around us. This helps in being less self-conscious and more relaxed, especially in social settings. Stop reliving and fretting over what happened in the past. And sop fantasizing and worrying about what may happen in the future.
Presence of mind increases productivity and makes us a little more involved in our own lives. It helps us to be more alert and aware of our surroundings and hence, helps savour the sweet moments of the present.
8. Say no
We are social beings. And in life, we often get involved in situations where we have to take decisions. When decision making itself is not easy, it gets complicated when others expectations are in the mix. Some of the most difficult decisions in life are when you have to give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in some crucial situations.
Some of these decisions may change the course of your life forever, which you end up feeling good about or regretting in the long run. While you may be inclined to say no to someone or some decisions, you end up saying yes to save yourself from guilt or due to delicacy toward that person, and running away from decision making is not an option.
While it is beneficial to give an assertive and firm ‘NO’ as an answer, try to make it as courteous as possible. Set healthy boundaries in relationships and be aware of other peoples’ tactics and manipulation whether they are conscious about it or not. It is OK to be selfish sometimes in order to prevent yourself from long term misery and regret.
9. Prioritize health
We all like to think that we have our priorities set straight. You may even have prioritized both long term and short term concerns, but it often does not include your health concerns. We tend to ignore the lingering back pain, recurrent muscle knots and frequent immunity related issues, prioritizing other life concerns like paying off bills, looking after children and other household requirements.
It is an absolute necessity to do regular medical checkups, seek medical advice on certain health ailments and get illnesses treated promptly. If you are under medication take your medicines at the right timings, do not skimp on advised exercise routines and to follow through the prescribed diet.
If you solve health issues promptly, there will be lesser chances of more complications piling up over time. Do not ignore physical ailments and seek a second or third opinions before subjecting your body to certain medications and treatment procedures.
10. Pay attention to stress levels
Most of us use denial as a coping mechanism when stressed. But it is not a solution to what we are going through. In this day and age of elevated stress levels each person should figure out a personalized coping mechanism for their stress levels. Otherwise it will take a toll on the physical, mental and emotional well being.
We can adopt various measures like joining dance classes, meditation, yoga, kickboxing, gardening, running, listening to music, swimming etc. The past few decades have proven that survival is becoming more of a psychological effort more than physical hardwork, where the most intelligent, adaptable and emotionally and socially intelligent people tend to get ahead in life.
If we wish to be successful in life, we better learn how to handle stress. For those of us who do not have enough time to invest in stress-busting activities every day, can use quick fixes like carrying a stress ball with us in our office bags, carrying healing crystals with us, two minute breathing techniques, hanging a calming picture on your office wall, writing motivational quotes in small pieces of paper and sticking them around your work area etc.
11. Give your ideas a chance
We all have had creative thoughts at some points in our lives. Sometimes we are forced to be creative while sometimes we have a brainwave unexpectedly. We may even write down/ draw our ideas or even implement it. But most of them end up just as random ideas due to several reasons like lack of resources, opportunities, motivation etc.
But some brilliant ideas never come to fruition just because we do not dare to act upon them. People tend to hold back either because they are lazy or fear judgement of others when exposed.
It will be a great favor that we do to ourselves by trying out an idea of ours, however big or small they maybe. It will definitely serve your sanity or even go on to serve others.
So do not hesitate to push boundaries and remove mental blocks for trying out a DIY project or approaching the government or another person or an establishment for assistance.
12. Pure enjoyment
Sometimes, all we have to do is to let loose and have some fun. Watch your favourite T.V. show or movie over and over again.
Listen to your favorite music on a loop, hangout with friends, spend time with family, play with pets, take a long, relaxing bath, put on some makeup or just go to your favorite cafe or restaurant.
The basic idea is to relax and do the most comfortable thing for yourself like walking in a park or going for a long drive. Anything which you can purely enjoy will help you feel rejuvenated and secure will help.
13. Daydream
Fleeing to your own fantasy world whenever you can afford to has its own benefits. Our ability to rescue ourselves from the harsh realities to our own dream world says a lot about our capability of self-preservation.
And the added advantages are that we do not need a specific time or venue to do it – we can daydream in the shower, while traveling, work breaks etc. and we are totally in charge.
Daydreaming uses only certain parts of the brain and give the others a break. While it is a good exercise for the brain, we need not work our mind.
So why spend time and effort trying to plan holidays to exotic locations while you can use your own creativity to weave the more-than-perfect scenarios to be in? Daydreaming gives us a sense of fulfillment which improves our working memory and helps us be healthier and happier.
14. Gratitude
It is not happiness that brings us gratitude, but gratitude brings us happiness. In life, we all must pause for a few moments in everyday life to count our blessings.
Consistently practicing the ‘gratitude ritual’ helps improve our overall health, build better relationships, deal with adversity and feel more positive emotions.
Simply focusing on what we have instead of what we lack on a regular basis can cultivate a habit. We can keep ‘gratitude journal’, listing all the things we thank the universe for. And it need not be difficult.
For starters, lets say “Thank you for the food I got to have four times today,” “Thank you for a comfortable home to stay in,” and “Thank you for the beautiful scenery and flowers on the side of road, on my way to work” etc.
15. Listen to Music
Music is soul food. You can always rely on music to reduce stress levels and anxiety. Simply listening to some uplifting music is enough to carry on with the rest of the day with more energy and positivity. Music is a fail proof medicine to easing emotional and physical pain.
Music provides stimulation to different parts of the brain and thus helps the listener to cope with different life situations by providing comfort. You can always make a music playlist of your own choice and listen to them while exercising, driving, cooking, bathing and other household chores.
You can take ‘music breaks’ in between work instead of ‘smoke breaks’ and ‘phone breaks’, ensuring better productivity and improved mood.
16. Find your personal style
Give your self esteem a little boost by improving your existing wardrobe. Rearrange all your outfits according to seasons, occasion, purpose and frequency of use. Then try mix and match within each sections of outfits and then between each sections.
Try on the dresses and figure out the many ways to accessorize with different jewelry, footwear, bags and add-ons to make it more fun. Consider each piece of clothing as an investment and try to make the most out of it.
Try on different hairstyles according to your face shape and dresses according to your body shape. Repair/ alter the dresses to your convenience for a more classy touch.
17. Surf the Internet
It is a blessing for us that we have access to any kind of information at our fingertips. Of course, improved connectivity and communication to and from any corner of the world has its own advantages and disadvantages, but the limitless exposure to the information we seek is definitely n advantage. Any doubts or any clarification is readily available on the internet.
Search about your topics of interest, find solutions whatever you have in your hands, gather information and discover new ideas . Get entertained and educated in the various possibilities life is offering you through the internet.
Internet is the best platform for curious minds to acquire information and share them. Being intrigued and replenishing your knowledge will always prove well for your personal growth.
