When we think of self-care, it’s easy to think of the larger activities that we need to invest in, those larger affairs that give us the chance to truly thrive. This might involve going on a restrictive diet, heading for a sports massage, using the sauna everyday, or training for a large exercise program.
But often, it’s the smaller habits we keep up with consistently that help define our self-care most of us, and give us the chance to grow and thrive as we wish to. This can be easy to ignore, especially if we easily brush off those minor considerations.
Doing so is not always the healthiest approach. For instance, when we wish to practice skincare, we know that one amazing lotion-filled afternoon isn’t going to be the thing that helps us, but rather, applying creams, removing our makeup, and moisturizing each day is going to have an effect in the long term.
But why do small habits define our self-care most of all? In this post, we’ll discuss how this is, and what to do about it:
The Morning Means Everything
The morning manner in which you start your day will have compounding effects on how you live the rest of it. Often, self-care is aided when we wake up at a proper time after going to bed at a reliable time the night before, and if we wake up, hydrate ourselves properly, exercise, and go outside for a little while to gain some fresh air. A morning walk in the park with your dog can tick all of these boxes, provided you drink some water either side.
Work Now Can Resolve Problems Later
It may be that the small healthy habits such as scheduling regular checkups can help you avoid problems from accumulating. For instance, visiting your dentist every few months can help you identify issues that might be developing, and from there, thrive with possibility. The more you can do this, the better off you’ll feel in the long run. Furthermore, getting into the habit of having issues checked out, rather than encouraging yourself to put off clinical advice, can potentially save your life.
The Power Of ‘No’
Sometimes, self-care is about what you don’t do rather than what you do. In fact, you could argue that choosing what not to do is perhaps more important than even choosing good habits. For instance, not choosing to partake in harmful substances is a pretty fantastic health decision to make. But little things, like being able to say “no” to your colleagues when they’re heading for a night out but you’re trying to fix your sleeping pattern, or politely declining a piece of cake if you’re trying to lose weight (provided you’re not too authoritarian about it), or even saying no to those who stress you out and cause you to struggle with your mental health can make a major difference towards how much self-respect you feel and how maintained you are from day to day. These efforts make a difference.
With this advice, you’ll see how small habits define your self-care most of all, and why that’s important.
