Self-care involves spending time, energy and money taking care of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being by engaging in a self-directed activity that nourishes your mind, body or spirit.
Though self-care activities can range from taking a nap or a walk to reading a good book, getting your hair done or just sipping a cup of tea, learning how to relieve stress while taking care of your self can help you achieve two goals at the same time.
The following top 10 self-care activities for dealing with stress will help you do this since they also serve as effective stress relief strategies.
The following top 10 self-care activities for dealing with stress will help you do this since they also serve as effective stress relief strategies.
Asserting yourself is a direct way of clearly expressing your feelings and needs without hurting the other person's feelings or minimizing what you want to say.
It is the perfect self-care cum stress relief strategy because expressing your unmet needs is one step in the journey of managing the stress of living with an unmet need and it is also a step which shows that you are taking care of yourself.
Therefore, create time to assert yourself if you have any unmet needs in your life that are stressing you.
Disregarding condemnation is a perfect stress relief activity since it reduces the mental burden placed on you by the negative opinions of others and your own negative self image.
Disregarding condemnation is also a self care activity since by reducing those burdens on your mind, it helps you feel better mentally and emotionally.
Therefore, create time for taking care of yourself and managing stress by disregarding condemnation.To do this do the following:
1. Confess your sins to God, ask Him to forgive you and receive His forgiveness.
2. Let Jesus into your life by saying "Jesus is Lord" and believing in your heart that when He died for our sins, God raised Him up. (Romans 10:9)
3. Apologize to the people you offended, pay your dues for the damages you caused and then remind yourself that There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
Declaring affirmations helps you manage stress by countering the negativity of negative thoughts and feelings. It also a self care activity since it builds you up mentally, emotionally and even spiritually by giving you hope.
Therefore, create time to declare positive declarations that are specific for your stressful situation over yourself. Perfects examples of Scriptural affirmations include I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Pampering yourself is a stress relief activity because when you are pampering yourself, you take your mind off the stressful situation and you are therefore able to relax. It is also a self care activity since pampering using involves engaging in a physically or mentally nurturing activity.
Therefore, create time for one of the most enjoyable stress management techniques by regularly treating yourself with lovingkindness for example by checking into a spa for a manicure, pedicure and facial or giving yourself one at home.
Taking a warm, aromatherapy bath is a perfect way to relieve stress at the end of a rough day as the warm water loosens stiff muscles and the essential oils calm your mind. It is also a self care activity since it nurtures you physically and mentally.
Therefore, create time to engage in one of the most aromatic ways to deal with stress by regularly luxuriating in an aromatherapeutic bath. Even when you don't have hours to spare, adding a few drops of relaxing lavender essential oil to your bath water can help you relieve stress. For more stress management tips using essential oils, read Aromatherapy for Stress Management.
Humoring yourself is a perfect stress relief strategy since humour is an excellent stress reducer. Humoring yourself is also self care since a merry heart is as good as medicine. (Proverbs 17:22)
Therefore, create time for one of the funniest stress management strategies and make yourself laugh by watching funny TV shows or hilarious movies on DVDs or live shows of your favourite comedians or you can also watch humorous online videos or read joke books.
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| Funny 4 God |
Balancing your diet by ensuring that it is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and water is a stress relief strategy since it helps your body cope will all the biochemical changes taking place as a result of your stressful activity.
Balancing your diet is also a self care activity since it is a physically nurturing and nourishing process.
Therefore, create time to plan your meals. You can begin by avoiding sugary foods which cause a rapid rise followed by a rapid drop of your blood sugar level that may worsen the irritability and mood swings which you may already be experiencing as a result of your stressful situation. In addition, do not forget to take your daily balanced multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement.
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| Stress Vitamins |
Drinking herbal teas with soothing herbs like chamomile and passionflower offers stress relief by help you calm down after a stressful day. It is also a self care activity since it is a self directed physically nurturing activity.
Therefore, create time to sip your favorite herbal teas. You can brew your own herbal tea at home by steeping your chosen herbs in boiling water for around 15 minutes and then drinking it warm after sweetening it with honey.
Therefore, schedule time to talk to your Creator everyday and ask Him for help in solving the problems you cannot solve by yourself.
Establishing a relaxation routine is a vital component of any stress management program since it programs stress management into your life. It also constitutes self care since a relaxation routine improves your physical and mental health.
Therefore, create time to create your personalized relaxation routine and to practice it regularly. A simple relaxation routine might involve stretching for 10 minutes each evening, taking a relaxing aromatherapeutic bath, reading a calming book such as the Bible, sipping soothing herbal teas, saying a prayer and then listening to peaceful music as you drift off to sleep.
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