Terri Ramsey Beavers Have our daily lives ever felt so hectic? With long working hours, family demands, and the constant fear of COVID-19, it is no wonder many of us are feeling exhausted and stressed.
The truth is, we’ve probably stretched our mental wellness to the limit.
Now is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and book in some guilt-free self-care for yourself. Here are four great wellness activities to add to your self-care checklist today.
1. Start a Gratitude Journal
We often believe that when we are happy, we’ll feel thankful. In fact, many of us have this approach the wrong way around. It turns out that when we make an effort to feel grateful, it will actually make us feel happier.
You can use that knowledge to help support your own mental health and wellness. Order a gratitude journal and create a daily ritual to write down everything in your life that you are grateful for.
If you continue this for several weeks, you’ll discover that it’s one of the most effective self-care activities you can do to boost your mental health.
2. Try Cold Water Swimming
Scientists recently discovered that swimming in nature can boost dopamine levels, which is the neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. Many people are now using cold water swimming as a way of improving their mental health.
Search your local area for cold water swimming clubs. Not only will it help you boost your wellbeing, but it’s also a great chance to get to know new people in your area.
If you aren’t a confident swimmer, try some lessons at your local pool first to improve your swimming stroke and help increase your confidence in the water.
3. Try a Yoga Class
If you want to know how to prioritize self-care with a busy schedule, try booking out one hour a week of me-time for beginner yoga classes. The benefit of a class is that you won’t experience everyday distractions like kids or phones.
Yoga is a proven way to boost your mental and physical health. The stretches will help your body develop greater flexibility which can help prevent injuries. The breathing will help you slow your heart rate and help you to relax.
If you don’t have the budget to join a local yoga class, there are many free online yoga apps to help teach you basic routines. Alternatively, have a look at some of the thousands of yoga routines on YouTube.
4. Book a Retreat
What better way to priorities self-care than to book a retreat? If you have recently experienced a lot of stress, an overnight retreat provides the perfect opportunity to wind down.
A retreat is a perfect way to escape the intensity of daily life and move at a slower pace while taking in some beautiful surroundings. Take a look at these wellness retreats for some ideas on the dream self-care escape.
Prioritize Your Self-Care Checklist
You can use these four ideas as a starting point to put together your self-care checklist.
Self-care doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Adding in some simple self-care activities into your weekly routine can make a big difference to your mental health.
If you enjoyed this article, take a moment to browse through some of our other recent wellness posts.