Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. We routinely take our vitamins, exercise religiously, and try to watch what we eat to make the best possible food choices in order to take care of our bodies. Shouldn’t we make the same meticulous effort to take care of our minds as well?

I get it. Life can be a hectic mess. We can be so caught up in the stresses of our everyday lives that we might forget to slow down and take care of ourselves. We slip into old habits that seem more convenient. We sometimes miss our vitamins, are too tired to sneak in a quick run, or grab a quick bite at a fast food joint instead of getting healthier meals.

Stress can creep up into our lives and make us feel crappy, tired, and anxious. It weakens our immune system and wreaks havoc on our digestion. It can make us feel cranky all the time and might even affect our relationships. But there are simple things you can do to get your life back on track and to “stress less.” After all, self-care is important!

Have a go-to self-care activity
Everyone’s self-care plan is different but one thing remains the same: The Objective. The objective of a self-care plan is to have a go-to activity that you enjoy doing that is guaranteed to calm you down and reduce your stress levels. Lighting scented candles, knitting, coloring, painting, playing a musical instrument, listening to soothing music, watching cartoons are all good examples of a self-care activity. Create a self-care plan for when you need to decompress. I’ve written about “How To Create A Self-care Plan And Why You Need One”, check it out to get some tips!

Declutter
Clutter adds to stress. Imagine coming home to a cluttered house at the end of a long and difficult day. Would you feel relaxed? Of course not. The visual chaos will absolutely add more stress to your already stressful day. And all you ever wanted was to come home to a warm bed and enjoy a quiet evening.

So take off all those clothes that are piled on to “the chair.” You know, the one we all have, the one we use as a catch-all for outfits we tried but didn’t put back in the closet, for bags that didn’t go with the outfit, for pajamas that we plan on re-wearing etc. Pick up everything that’s on the floor and put them back where they belong. Declutter your room and when you can finally see your bed, climb into it and enjoy the space.

Create a bedtime routine
Again, this might look different for everybody. Mine is reading or listening to a podcast right after cleaning up rituals and getting into my pajamas. I’m trying (so very hard) to limit screens to (at least) an hour before bedtime. If you succeed at doing this, please teach me how.

What are your de-stress rituals? Share them with us in the comments! Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help