Adulting
by Cecilia Carter
Does this sound familiar?
The truth is that “Adulting” is hard and life can be overwhelming and stressful especially when we don’t make time to take care of ourselves. We live in fast pace world that requires us to be productive, effective and efficient. In order to make room for all of the things that we “need” to do, we often put our own mental, physical and emotional health on the back burner. When we are stressed and overwhelmed, self-care is usually the first thing to go. Many of us have been taught the adage” the bigger the sacrifice, the bigger the reward”. This may be true in some aspects but we can often take this too far, leading to over working ourselves to the point that our sacrifice is counter productive, we are working hard but not necessarily efficiently.
For those of us who are givers, it is hard to take time for ourselves. Humans are naturally social creatures who look to build connections with one another; we can find ourselves over committing and spreading ourselves too thin in order to maintain our connections with others. Many people feel guilty about making time for themselves, but when we are stressed and exhausted we have less energy to give to anybody. As people we are interdependent so what we do to take care of ourselves has an effect on those we interact with. When we care for ourselves, we care for others better too.
To effectively support others we must learn to give from our over flow and not our reservoir, this means we must practice self-care. We must fill ourselves up with so much goodness that we have more than enough energy, time, happiness, strength, encouragement, etc. to offer to others. Self-care is when we take intentional actions to take care of our mental, physical and emotional health. We listen to our bodies and we take breaks when needed. Listed below are a couple of strategies to help you stock your overflow.
Eat Healthy/ Exercise- You are what you eat, nourish your body with foods that give you energy. Create a realistic exercise regiment and stick to it. Exercise is a great outlet to relieve tension caused by stress and anxiety.
Spirituality/Meditation- Unplug from social media and get in tune with your higher power, a belief in a high power can provide a sense of comfort and relieves life’s pressures, in this you know that something greater than yourself is in control. Meditation provides self-awareness, clarity, harmony and peace of mind.
Socialize- It is important to schedule time to be around people who make you happy. Loved ones can provide a sense of comfort and support that can help to better manage life’s stressors. Spend your money and time on things that are important to you, Cultivate important relationships.
Sleep- Getting a restful sleep has been proven to increase mood, energy, improve memory, and prolong one’s life span. Adequate sleep is important to living a healthy lifestyle; it benefits your body and mind.
Make yourself at home.
