Our world today is so fast-paced and intensive that it can feel hard sometimes to step back and really just take a breather. We may feel constantly under so much pressure to achieve certain goals and to “hustle.” It’s always good to feel motivated, but unfortunately, there are so many things in life that really just get us down, and sometimes, the best thing for motivation is to actually just take a step back. This is what I like to call self-care. It’s not just about taking a day off, but also about what you do on that day off to actually help improve the way you feel and help you reset and rejuvenate so that you can achieve great things the next day! So, for today’s post, we’ll be talking about why self-care is essential for long-term success and why you should invest time in it too.
(affiliate disclaimer: some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you when you purchase something through one of my links)
1. Self-Care Prevents Burnout
One of the biggest issues when it comes to working that most people don’t tend to think about is the idea of burnout. Burnout is basically an issue that happens when you’re just pushing yourself to your limits and you don’t give yourself enough time to take a breath and recharge. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion and pushing yourself more while you’re burned out is probably the worst thing that you can do.
Burnout is more than just a simple temporary setback and it can make your life much harder than it needs to be. The quality of your work will go down, you may miss opportunities or even lack the creativity that you usually have when you’re working.
By integrating self-care into your routine, you’re not only allowing yourself to take breaks but you’re also preventing the issues of burnout before they can happen because you’re actively giving your brain time to rest and reset instead of getting to a point where you can’t think anymore. Taking time to exercise, sleep in a bit, work on your hobbies, maintaining a skincare routine, etc… are all great ways that you can prevent burnout.
2. Self-Care Enhances Productivity
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “work smarter, not harder” many times in your life before. But, really, what does it mean? Well, working smarter not harder means that you’re not sitting there at your desk chained all day working. Instead, you make decisions and take action to ensure that you’re taking the proper amount of time to rest and reset as well as work and get things done so that you are finishing your work faster and at a more efficient pace.
Taking care of yourself shouldn’t be considered a distraction from work, but rather it should be considered an enhancement for work. You work more effectively when you feel good about your work and what you’re doing rather than feel pressured to get things done.
Eating healthy, taking care to try a variety of things like sleeping enough, and more are all really essential things to actively taking care of yourself! If you’re a writer like me (check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga by the way), then you definitely need to consider self-care. Just because your work happens to be more on the creative side doesn’t mean that you can just neglect your needs. You also work hard and you have to take some time for yourself!
If you want to start eating healthy today and you aren’t sure just how to yet, then check out BistroMD, which has a variety of different programs and meals depending on your needs! If you want to lose weight, go gluten free, etc… then they have plenty of options to suit your individual needs. Use code REF50OFF to get 50% off a week of meals at BistroMD now!
3. Self-Care Builds Emotional Resilience
Another really big part about self-care is that it can help you build some emotional resilience towards any challenges that you may face. In life, when you journey toward long-term success, setbacks are definitely inevitable. You will face challenges and disappointments along the way. What can help push you toward success is having emotional resilience and the ability to bounce back from adversity.
When you take care of yourself, you are taking steps to manage your emotional health. Things like taking time for yourself, journaling, seeking help, etc… are all ways that you can learn healthy habits and become a better you.
Without taking the time to care for yourself, you’re going to let all that negativity continue to spread inside you and it’s going to eventually lead to issues with stress, anxiety, anger, and so on. These are all things that are ultimately detrimental to you and your productivity.
If you’re ever feeling down, try journaling out. Journaling is a great way to reflect on your emotional journey and it can help keep you accountable. If you want some journal recommendations, check out this post! It’s more for world building, but honestly, the notebooks are blank, so use them for what you want!
4. Self-Care Helps With Your Social Life
A lot of the time, work hurts our ability to have a social life. Having good relationships, whether professional or personal, are key components to having long-term success. Self-care also helps you with those relationships because you’ll be charged and ready to hang out with others. You’ll also have a more positive outlook on life and you’ll be able to interact with others easier. Being constantly negative or down can impact your relationships in a way that you don’t want to deal with.
Social self-care means that you’re taking time to nurture your relationships and you ensure that they are fulfilling and not draining. Spend time with people, hang out with your friends, seek support from your family and/or close friends, and build a strong network that can help you in difficult times so that you don’t feel isolated or alone.
Building strong connections involves a lot of emotional work, so it’s important to work on yourself and build that emotional resilience we talked about earlier!
5. Long-Term Health and Sustainability
Self-care doesn’t just mean feeling better emotionally, but it also means that you are taking care of your physical health. The food you eat, the movement you get in a day, etc… these things can help you achieve long-term results that will be beneficial for your life 100% of the way.
Self-care isn’t just about baths and skincare (though those are very valid practices of self-care too) but it’s also about sleeping enough, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and taking breaks when needed.
Neglecting your physical health is painful for yourself in the short and long-run because you won’t feel good so that will reflect in your work when you’re unable to get things done. Prioritizing your health and remembering that you’re still human and your body has needs are all vital things to keep in mind. If you’re not feeling good, then your work will reflect that.
Self-Care Practices that I Love!
I personally practice self-care all the time and I like to prioritize my health and prioritize what I do. Working sometimes burns me out too, but I keep myself refreshed by doing these things:
Skincare
One of my personal favorite things about self-care is skincare, which is basically just taking care of your skin. I have a whole routine and everything for the morning and a routine for the night before I go to bed, so here’s everything I use:
AM:
- Wash face with cold water
- GlowRecipe Watermelon PHA/BHA Toner or CORSX AHA/BHA Treatment Toner
- Aloe Vera Gel
- GlowRecipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops
- Sunscreen (if going outside)
PM:
- Tatcha The Matcha Cleanse cleanser or CORSX Good Morning Gel Cleanser
- GlowRecipe Watermelon PHA/BHA Toner or CORSX AHA/BHA Treatment Toner
- Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream
As a bonus as well, I like to use the Sol de Janiero body mists throughout the day since they keep you smelling fresh.
Healthy Eating
One thing that I think a lot of people skip over is the fact that you need to eat healthy too. It’s not just about doing skincare, but it’s also about what type of food you’re putting into your system. Also, eating healthy and eating the right foods for you is a great way to help make your skincare needs less, which allows you to enjoy the skincare rather than feel concerned about having to do it.
If you’re someone who’s unsure, as I mentioned before, you can check out BistroMD, which is a great way to get some meals already made and ready to eat so that you can focus on getting your work done and not worrying about what you want to eat.
If you enjoy making your own food but maybe aren’t the biggest fan of shopping at a grocery store, then check out InstaCart so that you can actually get your groceries delivered and not have to worry about driving all the way to the supermarket.
Healthy eating is about balanced eating and getting your necessary nutrients in. But it’s also important to try and avoid things that are too high in sugar (but a bit of sugar here and there never hurt anyone LOL).
Journaling
Another really big one that I like to do is journaling. As a writer, I often find that the best way for me to convey my thoughts is through journaling. So, what I like to do is that I like to write down things that I’m thinking about and reflect on how the day went as well as how I felt throughout the day. It just helps keep things in order.
I personally have a lot of random notebooks at home, but I also like to use the iPad for journaling. If you want to learn more about the best apps for notes on the iPad, check out this post!
Conclusion: Self-Care Is the Key to Sustainable Success
Taking care of yourself isn’t just about the aesthetics of it, but the application of it! Taking time out of your day to take care of yourself, eat healthy, exercise, do your skincare, etc… are all very important. These things allow you to feel more replenished, whole, happy, and able to get your work done. Self-care lets you be productive and it lets you feel better about your work. It’s important to take time and practice self-care even if you feel like it might be a waste of time, I can assure you that it’s not.
Before you head on out, be sure to check out my fantasy series, The Fallen Age Saga, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter so you can get updates on all my latest WIPs, book releases, posts and more!