According to U.S Stress statistics , 77% of people regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress and 73% experience psychological symptoms caused by stress. Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. You can train your body to handle stress more efficiently by practicing self-care. Any activity you deliberately do in order to take care of your mental, emotional and physical health is considered self-care. Here is a list of ways you can practice self-care:
- Exercise
Physical activity produces endorphins, chemicals that reduce pain and naturally induce the feelings of pleasure, improves ability to sleep, reduces stress, wards off anxiety, and boosts self-esteem. Exercising moderately for 30-minutes five times a week allows you to reap all of the physical and mental health benefits. You don’t have to be a pro, just stay active. Dancing, running, biking, walking, playing sports, and hiking are all great ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
- Surround yourself with supportive people
Healthy relationships are a critical part of self-care. Invest your energy in those who encourage you and inspire you to become better. Drift away from anyone who drains your energy. This goes for your relationships both inside and outside of your workplace. A balance between give and take is essential for any healthy relationship.
- Clean your workspace
Maintaining a neat work area is a good way to practice self-care at work. Your environment can have a significant impact on productivity . Only keep things you frequently use on your desk to avoid clutter. Hang pictures, artwork, or images that inspire you or make you feel good as small reminders of your values. Your work area is a representation of yourself and it shouldn’t cause you unnecessary stress, it should give you clarity and enable you to do your best at work.
- Reward yourself
It’s important to recognize your own accomplishments. Naturally, we complete task after task and it becomes a vicious cycle of to-do lists. Take a moment to reflect what you and your team have accomplished at work or what you have accomplished outside of work; think of ways that you can treat yourself. Buying an outfit for yourself, getting a message or having a potluck at work are some of the ways you can compensate your hard work.
Self-care is vital and ultimately leads to overall better health. By being the best version of yourself, you will fill more confident helping those around you and want to strive to do well in all areas of your life. This short list can help jumpstart your journey to self-care.
At Nova Medical Centers we specialize in Occupational Health. Attending to your health and safety needs is our number one priority. We proudly offer onsite Health Fairs. Contact us for more information about our Health Fairs.
Written By Nayda Sanchez
