Sometimes you can get so caught up in the busyness of everyday life that you forget to take care of yourself. When you have a million and one things to do, it can seem impossible to squeeze all the things that you need to get done into one day, let alone making time for yourself. When your life is one constant rush, you can find that the days, weeks and months fly by, and before you know it you don’t recognize yourself. If this sounds like a familiar story, it is likely that you are experiencing the results of the stresses and strains of modern life.
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Not taking care of yourself can lead to you feeling disconnected from yourself, not looking like yourself and suffering from niggling health complaints that you try your best to ignore. Here are some ideas to help you get back on track and feeling great again:
Practise Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can be used anytime you are feeling stressed out and is one habit that could bring some serious benefits to your everyday life. Mindfulness is about bringing your attention to the present moment and not getting caught up in thought patterns about what might happen, what you should be doing, and is a great way to break free from these kinds of unhelpful thought cycles.
Using mindfulness as a tool to manage your stress levels and to help you to live more in the present will help you to feel calmer in general. If you are new to mindfulness you may find it useful to download an app so that you can be guided through how it works; this also means that you will always have your mindfulness tools to hand when you need them. If you practice mindfulness regularly, before you know it, you will be doing it naturally without guidance and enjoying the peace that comes from regularly using this useful technique.
Get Active
If you are continually dashing about trying to get everything you need to get done completed each day, once you finally finish for the day, it is unlikely that you will want to rush off to the gym and complete an exercise class. In fact, you are more than likely to be looking forward to curling up on the sofa with some comfort food to watch a boxset.
When life is crazily busy, it’s so easy to slip into bad habits, and they can happen as a kind of domino effect, slowly creeping in until they become a way of life. Often these habits are a coping mechanism to help you relax or relieve stress. Ultimately, these kinds of coping mechanisms are unhealthy, and as they gradually become the norm in your life, you may find that they start impacting on your health.
Being more active doesn’t need to mean that you have to sign up to the gym and start some intense training. Simply getting out and about more will help, taking walks in the fresh air is a great way to relieve stress and boost your mood. If you are struggling to find ways to fit being active into your day, then you may find it beneficial to get out of the office and take a walk on your lunch break, or even a short walk once work is done. Getting some fresh air and gentle exercise can be a great way to relieve tension after a busy day at work and could help to clear your mind and enable you to get a better night’s sleep.
Other useful exercises that combine being active with relieving stress are yoga and tai chi. Both of these forms of exercise are great for calming the mind and allowing you to focus on the present moment.
Take Care of Your Skin
When life is hectic, you may find that your skin is bottom of your list of priorities, and is seen as a luxury rather than a necessity. If you’re regularly going to bed without removing your make up and not keeping your skin cleansed and moisturized, you will begin to see problems with your skin no matter what age you are.
Neglecting your skin and experiencing stress will take their toll on your complexion over time, and leave your skin dull and lackluster. If you smoke or spend time in the sun without protection for your skin, it is likely that you will suffer from wrinkles and crepey skin. Having a good skincare routine in place that you follow each day will help to address your skin concerns. Check out https://www.siobeauty.com/blogs/news/crepey-skin for useful advice on crepey skin and how to treat it.
Don’t forget to wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water to keep your complexion looking healthy, fresh and clear.
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Get Some Beauty Sleep
There’s a reason that people refer to sleep as ‘beauty sleep’ and that’s because it’s the time when our bodies rejuvenate themselves. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you will usually find that you have eye bags, and dark circles, not to mention the constant yawning all day!
If you’re busy, you may find that you either fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow or that you lie awake, struggling to drop off to sleep each night. If you find it tricky to fall asleep, then there are lots of things that you can do to help you drift off into a peaceful sleep more comfortably.
Practicing sleep hygiene can help you to achieve a restful night of sleep more comfortably. Sleep hygiene is the term given to creating an environment that is conducive to rest and behaviors that encourage sleep. To create a sleep-friendly environment, ensure that your bedroom isn’t too hot, turn off the TV and reduce screen time before bedtime. For many people getting into a bedtime routine, such as having a warm, relaxing bath, or reading a book can be helpful. Getting into a bedtime routine should help your body adjust to going to sleep at more regular times and should eventually become a natural pattern that you fall into. If you struggle to feel relaxed at bedtime, some soothing music or a relaxation CD should be helpful.
Eat Right
Following a balanced diet can really help your energy levels if you are someone that’s continuously rushing around feeling under pressure. When you are busy, it can be hard to stick to regular mealtimes and makes it all the more tempting to eat at irregular times. Irregular eating can encourage you to seek out comfort food later in the evening when you are feeling really hungry and sugary snacks during the day for a quick burst of energy. Trying to stick to regular mealtimes should prevent you from reaching for the unhealthy snacks and late night junk food. Eating a balanced diet will provide you with the energy that you need to help sustain your busy lifestyle.
Be Kind to Yourself
No matter how busy you are trying to take time for yourself to do things that you enjoy doing – even if you have to schedule them in! Remember to take the time to slow down every once and a while to simply be.
Using techniques to help you take care of both your body and your mind will help you feel better prepared for life’s challenges, and will give your health and wellbeing a real boost. Not only will you look better on the outside, but you will also feel better too.
