It is amazing that even when people know how important self-care is to their wellbeing, it isn’t always easy to incorporate it into their daily routine. So why don’t people take care of themselves when it is totally achievable.
Here, we’ll look at why people generally fail when it comes to self-care and the main things that are holding them back.
Why Don’t People Take Care Of Themselves?
Here are the two main reasons why people fail to take care of themselves.
They Feel It Is Selfish
One of the main reasons why people don’t take care of themselves is because they feel it is selfish.
It could be that they feel guilty when they take time to focus on themselves. Or, they may worry about what other people think, or that they are neglecting their children as they are not focused solely on their children’s needs.
It is a total myth that self-care is selfish. In fact, it can help one to be a better parent, friend, spouse, and relative.
The more you take care of yourself, the easier you’ll find it to take care of others. You’ll also show your children the importance of self-care. Teaching them to take care of their own needs is a crucial life skill that’s going to help them to grow up to be happier adults.
It Takes Some Effort
There is no getting away from the fact that self-care does take some level of effort, especially in the beginning. When you aren’t used to making self-care a priority, you’re going to need to make quite a few changes to your routine.
Coming up with a self-care plan can feel like a chore, making it easy to put it off.
However, there are ways to reduce the effort.
For example, focusing on one thing you want to improve at a time can really help. Perhaps you’d like to start working out more? Scheduling time to exercise as soon as you wake up, for example, can be a great start. Or, if you’re looking to drink more water, focus on that goal first.
If you break down your self-care tasks, it makes them much easier, reducing a lot of the effort involved.
Once something becomes a habit, it will be a lot easier.
So What Is Self-Care To You?
Every one of us is different, which means we enjoy and dislike different things. When you initially look at examples of self-care, you’ll find a lot of them relate to things like reading a book or taking a hot bubble bath. These types of activities aren’t for everyone so they might feel self-care really isn’t for them.
Self-care isn’t just bubble baths, yoga, and meditation. It is anything that relaxes and takes care of you. So, if you find going for a run is a more effective way of feeling good, that would be classed as a self-care task.
If you find one self-care approach isn’t working, try something else. Self-care should be personal to your own needs.
These are the most common reasons people fail to take good care of themselves. It can be difficult overcoming the initial barriers to self-care. However, once you fully understand what and how important it is, you’ll find it much easier to stick to a self-care routine.
There Are Those Parts Of Us That Won’t Let Us Do Self Care
Did you know that when you choose something that is not the best thing for you, a deep seated part of yourself does not want to heal?
We know what is best for us in our lives, from relationships to the food you choose to eat, yet it still seems that we are unable to make the right choices for ourselves. How often do you hang out with someone who leaves you feeling tired and drained, or choose fast food over a healthy salad?
Sometimes we go through phases where we stop taking vitamins or doing your daily workout and this is what your could call self-sabotage. So it is important to inquire into yourself why you are doing this.
Self-sabotage happens unconsciously, which is why it is so difficult to see that you are doing it sometimes, but the important thing to realize is that this very part of us that resists our healing is the part that most needs our attention and love.
So if we recognise that we are not making healthy choices, say aloud to yourself, ‘I am not taking care of myself.’ Sometimes this is the jolt we need to wake up to what is actually happening.
Try to meditate on this or sit with a friend to explore the matter more thourougly. Just shining a light of awareness on the source of your resistance is sometimes enough to improve your choices. Other times some further effort will be required. Either way, we need not fear these parts that do not want to heal, we only need to take them under our wing and bring them with us into the light.
How To Balance Practicing Self-Care While Leading A Busy Life
One of the most difficult challenges a lot of people face with self-care, is finding the time to fit it in. When you live a busy lifestyle, it can seem almost impossible to find extra time to look after you.
One of the main reasons why people don’t take care of themselves is time. Here are some tips to get some of the self-love going.
Schedule It In
A good tip you can follow to ensure you can fit self-care into your busy routine is to schedule it in. Think about it, you schedule everything else, so why not self-care?
When you set a time to focus on yourself, you are much more likely to stick to it. No matter how busy you think you are, there will always be time for self-care somewhere in your schedule.
Establish A Morning Routine
If you are struggling to find the best time of day to practice self-care, you might find it easier in the morning. If you’re a busy parent, you might disagree here but think about it. In the morning, you could get up just 30 minutes earlier, or 15 minutes if you want. This can be the perfect opportunity to practice self-care.
Alternatively, if you are a parent you could focus on self-care in the evenings when the kids have gone to bed. It doesn’t take long to practice self-care so you should always be able to squeeze it in somewhere.
The trick is to find some time for yourself every day.
Automate Your Daily Tasks
There are all kinds of tools and gadgets that can automate various aspects of our lives. If you are constantly busy, you’ll find automating certain tasks can be a game-changer.
For example, you could switch from going to the grocery store, to ordering groceries online. If you have items you frequently purchase, these can be added to your favorites list, making it easier to add them to your order next time. Doing your grocery shopping online can free up a lot of free time during the week that can be used on self-care.
Start Small
You don’t have to start by completely overhauling your lifestyle. Instead, you can start small with self-care. Begin by taking just 10 minutes out of each day to focus on a self-care activity. Focus on developing one positive self-care habit at a time. Once you have mastered that, you can move on to the next task.
By starting small, it makes it easier to fit self-care into your busy life. Many people mistakenly think they need to begin with at least 30 minutes a day. The truth is, however much time you can free up for self-care is enough. Once you get started, you’ll find it easier to start focusing more on self-care due to the benefits you experience.
Overall, balancing practicing self-care with a busy lifestyle isn’t easy. However, the tips above can really help. You’ll find a lot of tips online too from busy people just like you.
Remember that self-care is essential to your health and wellbeing. So, no matter how busy you are, you should always try and make time for self-care daily.
How Lack Of Self Care Can Lead To An Unhappy Life
Self-care is often seen as a luxury, but did you know it can lead to a longer, happier life?
Without self-care, you’re likely to end up feeling stressed, tired, and generally unhappy.
Here, we’ll look at how a lack of self-care can lead to an unhappy life. You will also learn some of the signs to watch out for that you need more self-care in your life.
You’ll Feel Stressed And Exhausted
When you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’ll often feel stressed and exhausted. This in turn can lead to burnout and a feeling of resentment.
For example, it could be that you are exhausted from taking care of everyone else’s needs. Over time, if you don’t factor in self-care, you could end up resenting your loved ones.
When you are constantly exhausted and stressed out, it’s impossible to maintain a positive outlook. Self-care helps to combat stress and it also boosts your energy levels.
Personal Hygiene Suffers
A side effect of not following a self-care routine is that your personal hygiene could suffer. This is especially true for those experiencing depression. When you are depressed or low, self-care is the last thing on your mind. In severe cases, you could spend days in bed, failing to do even basic self-care tasks such as taking a shower or brushing your teeth.
The trouble is, failing to take care of yourself leads you to feel even worse. So, maintaining self-care is crucial for your mental health and personal hygiene.
You’ll Seek Unhealthy Enjoyment
Another thing that tends to happen when you lack self-care, is you’ll seek unhealthy enjoyment. It could be overindulging in junk food because it makes you feel better. Or you could turn to alcohol or drugs to escape.
When you start turning to unhealthy habits for comfort, it’s going to lead to additional issues. You’ll also feel unhappier, particularly if you drink in excess. Alcohol is a depressant that can leave you feeling a lot worse than when you started.
Weight Gain
Many people who don’t take care of themselves, experience some level of weight gain. The more weight you gain, the unhappier you are going to be.
It can be difficult to lose weight, so focus on self-care to help you to avoid this potential challenge.
You Never Feel Good Enough
Self-care is something you do because you are worth it. Therefore, if you fail to take care of yourself, you can end up feeling like you are not good enough. As you are constantly tired and juggling life’s responsibilities, you may feel like you are a failure, or you simply don’t measure up to others.
These are just some of the things that can happen when you don’t follow a self-care routine. The effects can be severe, causing you to lead an unhappy and unfulfilled life.
So, if you’re looking to lead a happier life, now is the time to start focusing on your needs and making self-care a priority.
Conclusion
So let this be the year of taking care of you.
No more excuses.
Now that you know why people don’t take care of themselves, it’s time to do something about it and make time for yourself. You can thank me later.