WRITTEN BY: Brad Krause, Writer/Owner 
selfcaring.info/
Self-care is one of those things that many of us know about but few of us practice. We know that healthy eating, exercise, positive thinking, and reducing stress is paramount to our wellness, but other priorities just keep getting in the way. We have work to do, people to take care of, chores to tackle, and no time left over. The unfortunate reality is that this busy lifestyle tends to cause chronic stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety. For the sake of your mental health, give these simple but overlooked self-care practices a place in your regular routine.
Declutter Your Home
In an otherwise healthy lifestyle, stress often keeps us from achieving desirable levels of happiness and productivity. Despite our best intentions, our homes can become a source of stress if we allow clutter to pile up and to-do lists to grow longer. Try dedicating just one day toward decluttering your house and creating a comfortable home environment that fosters relaxation and creativity. Once you’re done getting rid of things you don’t like or need, consider setting up a reading corner or meditation area completely dedicated to relaxation. If you’re going this route, keep it minimal with just a few relaxing decorations like plants or meaningful art.
Aim for 20 Minutes of Exercise Every Day
When it comes to exercise, a little goes a long way. In fact, people who don’t exercise are 44 percent more likely to develop depression than people who exercise between one to two hours per week. Although it’s recommended that adults get 2.5 hours of weekly exercise, it’s best if you stretch this across multiple days. This means you can exercise for just 22 minutes every day and receive all of the same mental health benefits, including improved cognitive functioning and reduced anxiety. To get started, get outside for a brisk walk or jog, or you can contact Coach Steve at Davey Black Fitness for a program to follow that suits your current fitness level and work/life commitments.
Stick to a Regular Sleep Schedule
If you’re having trouble falling asleep at night and getting up in the morning, your sleep-wake schedule may be to blame. Following a regular daily routine and going to bed at the same time every night could be the best way to fix your sleeping problems. When you improve your sleep, everything else, from your cognitive performance to your mood, will improve as well. So, stick to a regular bedtime by adopting an enjoyable evening routine. Take a bath, do some yoga, or sit down with a good book. Just remember to stay off of your electronics during the last half-hour before bed since these can disrupt the production of natural sleep hormones in your brain.
Eat for Your Brain
Most of us know which foods are best for our bodies, but do you know which are best for your brain? Certain foods, when eaten whole and unprocessed, are packed with essential nutrients that encourage brain cell growth and keep everything up there running. Blueberries, avocados, nuts, eggs, and fish are some of the best brain-boosting foods you can find. If you’re looking for some nutritional supplements to support your mental health, Well+Good recommends vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and magnesium.
Quit Overworking
Our bodies can handle short-term stress, but they do not perform well under constant stress. While we tend to see chronic stress as a normal response to a busy lifestyle, doctors refer to burnout as a lifestyle disease similar to diabetes. Burnout can cause premature aging in the brain and alterations to key areas involved in stress coping. Additionally, chronic stress can lead to chronic fatigue, depression, and other long-term mental health problems. Staying organized and prioritizing important tasks can help, but some of the best ways to cut down on job stress include setting boundaries, delegating work, and just saying “no” more often.
Developing a lifestyle of self-care and wellness is like taking a miracle pill; by keeping your mind and body healthy, you can fight all sorts of mental problems and physical ailments. You don’t even have to flip your entire life upside down to achieve this! Aim to make small, self-care focused changes to every aspect of your day and see just how far that gets you.
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