Take Better Care Of Yourself – 20 Easy Ways

Many of us let guilt, lack of time, commitments and responsibility get in the way of taking care of ourselves. Yes it’s okay to be committed and take care of your responsibilities, but it’s equally if not more important to take care of yourself. Doing things like taking time off from work, having some “me” time, or getting “away from it all”,  is extremely important to your health, happiness and success.  Do you prioritize yourself? You MUST find time to take better care of yourself. Here are 20 easy ways to do that.

“You can’t take care of others if you can’t take care of yourself.”

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20 EASY Ways To Take Better Care Of Yourself

1 – Keep Up With Your Health Check-Ups

You can take better care of yourself by keeping up to date with all of your appointments. This includes your regular health doctor as well as your optician and dentist. Put your appointments on your calendar and treat them as a MUST NOT MISS appointment. If you have been afraid of the dentist, get over your fear and just do it.

2 – Exercise Every Day

Just taking the time to walk every day will increase your overall health. Try to get at the very least 30 minutes of some kind of exercise daily. Get up a half hour early or spend half your lunch going for a walk if you are short on time.

3 – Eat Well Most Of The Time

We all splurge and eat junk food at times, but most of your meals should be healthy and balanced. Get plenty of fruits and vegetables, limit your caffeine, alcohol, red meat intake, and learn to control your food portions.

4 – Get Enough Sleep

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t sleep very well, but sleep is extremely important. Take better care of yourself by giving your body and mind a chance to recuperate. Here are some quick tips:

• Turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before bed.
• Meditate before bed.
• Facilitate a calm atmosphere an hour before bed.
• Set an alarm clock to go to bed.
• Avoid heavy meals before bed.

5 – Enjoy Your Breaks

Take breaks at work throughout the day and relax on the weekends and holidays. Use breaks and time off to unwind. Don’t think about work or things that you have to do. Give your body and mind a chance to relax.

6 – Take Pride In Your Appearance

Make sure you spend the time and effort every day to look your best. When you look your best, you feel your best and your confidence sky-rockets.

7 – Meditate

Meditation has some amazing benefits, including stress reduction and improving your focus and concentration. It takes time to become a master at this but even meditating as little as 5 minutes a day can help. I recommend taking baby steps at first. Meditate for a few moments a day and build up your time slowly.

8 – Take Better Care Of Yourself By Learning To Say No

Saying yes to everything will only cause frustration and stress. You don’t always have to feel obligated to do something when someone asks you. Once you learn to say no without giving an explanation, an amazing thing will happen. You will feel less burdened and more focused on things that really matter.

9 – Take Care Of Your Things

Take care of the things you own. Keep your car cleaned. Keep your house organized and tidy. Your belongings should always be handled with care.

10 – Eliminate Negative People From Your Life

Don’t spend any more of your time around negative people. Surround yourself with people who support you and your goals. If you can, get yourself a mentor and a life coach as well.

11 – Love Yourself

Take better care of yourself by allowing yourself to be imperfect. No one is perfect so It’s okay to fail and have flaws. Forgive yourself, don’t be a self-critic and work on accepting and loving the person you are.

12 – Forgive and Let Go

Holding on to things that serve no purpose will do nothing but cause more stress and anxiety. It will cause chaos in your life. Learn to forgive and let go and stop being dragged down by the baggage of the past.

13 – Keep Reserves

Keep a reserve of things that help your life run smoothly. This can be anything from toilet-paper to contact lens solutions. Keeping things on hand will keep those little inconveniences at bay that may add to your frustration. There is nothing worse than reaching for your TP and you have none! Or having to add water to your contact case! Not good! Write down a list of these little things and next time you are at the store, buy them in bulk.

14 – Work On Your Positivity

It’s difficult to stay positive all the time but it’s my belief that happiness has everything to do with your mindset. If you are constantly looking for the bad in every situation, then it will be almost impossible to be happy. There are some things you can do daily to increase your positivity. Here are several:

• Say daily affirmations
• Smile and laugh out loud every day even if you have no reason to
• Practice gratefulness
• Practice mindfulness

15 – Sprinkle Little Joys In Your Life

Take better care of yourself by sprinkling little indulgences into your life. The only exception to this is food. So if there is a hobby or activity you enjoy doing, add more of it to your life.

16 – Accept Compliments Graciously

When someone compliments you, don’t look for ways to deflect them. Accept them and believe them.

17 – Take Some “ME” Time

It’s important that we enjoy time alone. This keeps us grounded. If you feel like you don’t even know who you are anymore because you are so busy taking care of everyone else, this is especially important.

18 – Spend Time With Close Family and Friends

Don’t neglect your emotional needs. As humans we need emotional support from our friends and family. Spend quality time with them and enjoy their company. People close to you understand you and are concerned for you. This has an amazing effect on improving our overall happiness.

19 – Follow Your Heart

If something deep inside has always spoken to you, don’t ignore it. Follow your passion.

20 – Deal With Your Emotions

Recognize your emotions when they occur. Learn to understand your triggers for fear, anger, and frustration, as well as when you are happy and excited. When it comes to negative emotions, don’t bury them, but deal with them right away.

Do you have any more suggestions on how to take better care of yourself? Let us know in the comments below.