Self-care is such a buzz word right now. In fact, if you just search it on the internet over 2 billion results come up. But what is the importance of self-care and how can it affect your health.
Here is the thing we MUST take care of ourselves first before we can take care of other’s around us and I can not stress this enough. We always have an excuse of why we don’t take care of ourselves like there isn’t enough time, money, or whatever.
When my children were little, it was hard to find the time for myself. As time passed and my children got older, there were other responsibilities. I was able to find some time to exercise because that is something I love to do. Now, almost every day, I find the time for some sort of exercise. That was and still is most of my self-care.
However, as I get older, there are other things that I find essential for the importance of self-care. Taking time to go to the doctor for my physical and preventative tests, massages, meditation, and eating better are some of the things I’m making a priority in my life.
I am the primary caregiver to my step-father. He has Lewy Body Dementia. The reason, I started this blog was to share my experience as a caregiver. Most caregiver’s do not practice self-care at all and this can lead to major problems with their own health. Especially if you are a caregiver for someone with a chronic disease. If you know someone that is a caregiver please make sure they are taking care of themselves. Maybe you could offer to help them, most people do not want to ask for your help but they sure do need it!
One reason I have been thinking about the importance of self-care is that both of my parents have passed away from cancer. My father passed away at 59 and my mother got cancer at 60, thankfully she lived another fifteen years. I talked with both of my parents and they both believed that their cancer was somewhat caused by stress.
Stress can come from mental stress but there are other ways that we stress our bodies. For instance, overexercising and undereating can wreck our bodies and our hormones. Stress can lower our immune system, therefore, causing health problems.
I am on a journey to live the best and longest life I can. One area I am working on is to add more meditation in my life to reduce stress and even worry. I want to make sure that I take care of myself so that I can be the best to take care of all those around me and especially since I am about to become a grandmother. My favorite meditation app is Insight Timer.
