The Importance of Self Care

24 Aug

Sometimes we let life get in the way of taking care of ourselves. If you’ve developed that habit, it is about time for you to stop. You may not realize it, but you are destroying your health, and you are the last person you need to harm your body. Self-care is more than just something that makes you feel good. It is an essential part of life, and without it, the quality of it will suffer.

Top Ways Self-Care Impacts Your Health  

You might be surprised to learn precisely how self-care can impact your quality of life, but it already is whether you realize it or not. Read the following information and see how your decisions every day impact the long-term quality of life you will live.

  • Improved Self-Esteem  

One of the biggest things that impact us in unseen ways every day with each interaction we have is our self-esteem. You have probably seen someone who was naturally competent before, who seems to magnetically attract everyone as soon as they walked into a room. You may have even wished you were a little more like that yourself. The chances are that person was practicing self-care. Self-care boosts self-esteem and people who have high self-esteem are often described as having a magnetic aura when they are in social situations.

  • Healthier Skin  

One of the biggest reasons for people’s skin ages is more quickly than it has to is related to a lack of self-care.

When you take better care of yourself, your skin’s appearance and health will improve. It will become more elastic and will not wrinkle as easily. This has to do with a decrease in your perception of anxiety, which has a real impact on health.

  • Lower Cortisol Levels  

Cortisol is the hormone that the body uses to communicate stress signals primarily. It is related to adrenaline and is an integral part of many metabolic processes. We could not survive without it, but in modern society, most humans live with excessive amounts of it chronically.

Chronically high levels of cortisol are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, including but not limited to: an advanced rate of aging, early signs of mental decline, lower life expectancy, and even more.

Taking better care of yourself will limit the production of cortisol and make sure that it stays within healthy levels.

  • Better Immune System Function  

One significant effect of the production and cortisol on your body is an improvement in your immune system is functioning. Cortisol has a dampening effect on your immune system. The body is receiving a signal that says we have an external threat; we need to prepare for not an internal one, and it shifts resources away from your immune system so you can better prepare for a threat that will be outside of your body.

Unfortunately, many of the threats we perceived to exist outside of ourselves are really all met in our heads anyway. This thought can harm your immune system dysfunction, but taking better care of yourself should help to limit the impacts.

  • Better Sleep Quality  

The quality of your sleep is primarily related to the quality of your life and how well you are taking care of yourself. If you are having a difficult time falling asleep, then it means that there is something out of balance in your life.

Humans need sleep, and if you suddenly experience an increased or decreased need for sleep, then it should alert you that something significant has changed, and it needs your attention. If you are having trouble with sleeping you may want to check out some of these tips:

  • Upgrading your mattress: If your mattress is more than 10 years old it is probably time to upgrade
  • Upgrading your sheets: Not all sheets are made equally – if you are a hot sleep you may want to buy sheets that are a lower thread count because they tend to be cooler
  • No electronics in bed: Train your brain that your bed is designated for sleeping
  • Hygiene: While it may not seem like much, a proper hygiene routine is important for restful sleep
  • Lights out: Eliminate outside lights by adding blackout curtains to your room, this will block any lights as well as keep your room insulated which can help keep your room comfortable and keep your Northshore Gas utility bill down as well.

However, only you know your self, but as soon you begin to suspect that something is negatively impacting your sleep quality, you need to track it down and eliminate it as quickly as possible.