Taking Care of Your Body – Mentally, Emotionally, Physically and Spiritually

All aspects of our health overlap each other, so a holistic approach to self-care is important.  Ignoring your mental/emotional health can lead to a weaker immune system, likewise, ignoring your physical health can lead to serious health problems.  Ignoring your spiritual health can lead to loss of hope and direction.  By making your needs a priority, you can enjoy the rewards of being more energetic, happier and purpose driven.

• Exercise regularly. Even small amounts of physical activity are helpful and can add up over a week, increasing your long-term well-being.
• Get enough sleep. We all have different sleep needs.  So it’s important to find out how much sleep you specifically need and create a good sleep routine.
• Add more fresh foods to your diet. What we eat impacts how we feel physically and mentally.  Stay healthy by eating well.
• Spend time with people whose company you enjoy. Having healthy relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours can increase your sense of emotional wellbeing and give you a feeling of connectedness.
• Manage your stress. Minimising stress in our life is important for overall health however, sometimes it cannot be avoided. Having good coping skill can help us to reduce or prevent stress.  This could include: Talking to a friend, reappraising and/or reinterpreting your situation, meditating, listening to music or exercising.
• Boost your spiritual health: Boosting you spiritual health can help create a sense of hope, purpose and belonging.  This could be: Connecting with a faith community, volunteering,  practicing yoga and/or meditation or spend time in nature.

Don’t forget to enjoy yourself: Taking the above steps are great but make sure you include laughter and relaxing with friends.  Self-care shouldn’t fell like an extra chore.  Fun is important too.