Self-Care
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
As soon as the cabin loses pressure, the oxygen masks will lower from the overhead area. Before helping others, you must place a mask over your own mouth and nose. For anyone who travels by air, we have heard this announcement time and time again. How many of us have really taken it to heart and truly thought about it? On the most recent episode of the Forever Young Podcast, we discussed how to implement self-care into our everyday lives. Caring for yourself can mean something different to everyone; whether it’s a long morning walk, working out, having some quiet time to read, or having a meal with a friend - it is important to live in self-care.
We hope this episode helps our listeners and readers to take a little time for themselves and smell the roses because when our cup runs dry we will have nothing left to give. And you have to have something in you to be able to give to others, right? If you’re running on empty, you’re going to be tired and frustrated, and eventually, burn out. This is where self-care comes in.
It is important to make sure you have enough moments throughout the day for yourself. Taking a moment to breathe and center yourself again can improve your memory and mood.
In order to make self-care a part of your everyday routine, you must learn to love yourself and know your limits. Learning to accept yourself for who you are, and learning to run your own race in your own lane, is important to be a happier version of yourself. Try to not compete with anyone else and forgive yourself easily and freely. Let the past be in the past and give yourself permission to learn from your mistakes. Try again and never give up on yourself!
Let’s talk about what activities you can start doing today that are very important and integral to self-care.
The first one is healthy eating. We've talked about it so many times, but eating healthy is good for so many things, and it's also really important for self-care. Eating a rainbow of colored fruits and vegetables is a really easy way to get your nutrients and your vitamins.
And of course, exercise. There might be days where you would rather sit on the couch and watch TV, but being physically active is truly important for our optimal health. No matter how you choose to exercise, moving your body can assist in improving endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility. Exercise also boosts our energy improves our muscle strength and increases blood flow and nutrients to our tissues and promotes mental relaxation. Exercise is also a really good method for improving sleep.
We have learned the importance of sleep to our overall health in previous podcast episodes with Dr. Uche Odiatu. They say that the sleep-deprived brain is worse than a drunken brain. We need adequate sleep so we can function more optimally. The brain also detoxifies and regenerates while we sleep, which is why it's good to get to bed early so that your organs can cleanse and rejuvenate.
In that particular episode with Dr. Odiatu, we talked about giving ourselves the luxury of a good night's rest and that it should be a priority in our self-care. To describe how important sleep is, luxury may actually not be the most suitable word, since saying that sleep is a luxury makes it seem like it should be a special thing. But truly getting a good night's rest is something that we should do just like eating our fruits and vegetables to improve our health and mood. It is a necessity and an important step in showing care to ourselves.
We may have adapted to such a lifestyle because we live in a fast-paced world. While you're in school, you have to stay up and pull those all-nighters, then you come out and work. Depending on who you work for, especially when you are young and out of school, employers can really suck the life out of you. So although sleep may feel like a luxury in these instances, it is actually a necessity. It is also important for improving overall mental health and also to be able to function.
The act of journaling can also be viewed as a form of self-care, and as a way to de-stress or to see things clearly. It can help reflect and organize your thoughts and improve your mood by helping you prioritize your problems and concerns. Tracking your symptoms can help you recognize any triggers and learn better ways to control them. Keeping a journal can also help you plan, organize, and track your day's activities, which can help you feel on track with your goals.
The idea of having a gratitude journal is also a really nice way to start or end your day. Writing down what you are grateful for, and looking for the positive in things can help you become a more positive person. Starting your morning with a list of three things that you are grateful for from the day before can already start your day in a better tone and help you improve your mood.
Another method of self-care can also be in the form of meditation. The act of relaxing your brain, or concentrating on a happy thing, can greatly improve your mental health and productivity. Meditation is a very powerful self-care tool that helps improve self-awareness, reduce levels of stress and anxiety and even improve your tolerance. Prayer can also be a form of self-care and is very similar to meditation. Some people may pray rather than meditate. Praying on a regular basis can help you feel in alignment and help relieve stress and anxiety.
Discussing self-care is very near and dear to the Forever Young Podcast. We need to take care of ourselves. As family caregivers or anyone caring for someone with dementia, we understand that it is no easy task. Juggling between work, family, and taking care of your loved ones can sometimes leave no time for oneself. However, try to schedule some time to slow down and do something for yourself! Everyone needs that time for themselves to detox and de-stress in order to make themselves stronger.
Listen to the full episode from the Forever Young Podcast :
Remember you must always make a deposit before you can withdraw. So how about scheduling a pampering meeting? It can be a spa day or just a day dedicated to yourself where you do absolutely nothing! The good thing about self-care is that it can be practiced in any way that you like, which means people may have different ways of doing self-care and implementing it into their lives. Until next time, keep smiling because you're never too old to become younger!
The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
