(818) 245-5352What is self-care and why is self-care important? For many, the idea of performing acts of love for oneself seems like selfishness or over-indulgence. Luckily, more and more people are starting to realize that taking care of themselves relieves tension daily. Learn more about the importance of taking care of yourself consistently and working on being emotionally and mentally healthy.
What Is Self-Care and Why Is It Important? Answering the Most Common Questions About It
If someone has to wonder why is self-care so important, they probably don’t know how to deal with problems the right way, or worse, they suppress them. We all face daily stressors, from family and relationships to work stress, and we often embrace the chaos as just another part of living.
While it’s alright to learn how to live with stress and its triggers, it’s not recommended to just accept that as a lifestyle; it’s better to take actions that will reduce the level and role of stress in your daily existence, which is basically what caring for yourself is all about.
Should You Only Turn to Self-Care When You’re Suffering From Stress?
You may know how to calm yourself down in certain situations, but not how to work on staying calm and avoiding triggers altogether. When we find ourselves in a stressful situation, the body produces a hormone called cortisol, known as “the stress hormone”. High cortisol levels drain the body of energy and don’t give us a fighting chance to accomplish anything during the day.
That is the answer to why is self-care important when you’re not stressed, too – learning how to cope with situations that drain your energy and life force in advance will significantly lower your body’s response to stress and overall cortisol levels.
Are Exercise, Diets, and Pampering the Only Ways to Be Good to Yourself?
When we learn about self-care and its importance, we often hear an emphasis on exercising, diets, and spa days. While these can definitely help, they’re not the only solutions to relieving tension. The enjoyable part about self-care tips is that they can apply to anyone, no matter their age, sex, or general wellness.
The Benefits of Self-Care Extend to Your Overall Well-Being
We’ve mentioned some common myths and misconceptions about the importance of self-care, so it’s time to turn to its benefits and answer the question of why self-care is important for mental health.
The things that cause high physical, mental, and emotional distress in daily life are:
- Social media,
- Work environment and workload,
- Money and finances,
- Socio-economic situation,
- Traffic and commuting,
- Bad night’s sleep,
- Conflict with someone.
There are more significant and stressful events in a person’s life than these. However, a big difference between daily annoyances and highly stressful events is that when something as big as the death of a loved one happens, we allow ourselves to do whatever it takes to feel better. When it comes to one email too many or a long commute, we tend to suppress what we’re experiencing. That leads to tension piling up and causing all sorts of issues – physical, mental, and even social.
Learning how to cope with the impact of social media on our psyche has become the most recent, so-called “modern problem”. Many researchers have proven that social media has a massive impact on a person’s psychological health, so having a “social media detox” is one of the best steps an affected person could take. They could call that caring for themselves and their well-being – the pursuit of being mentally healthy comes in all forms and experiences.
Improve Your Sleep Schedule, Energy Levels, and Stress Management
Removing outer stressors from your life could change the way you see the world; those would be social media, the longer route to the office, or reading emails on weekends. Here are more examples of acts of caring for yourself:
- Look up “therapist near me” and learn how therapy works for your mental wellness,
- Try intuitive eating and developing a mindful relationship with food,
- Sign up for a yoga or meditation class,
- If you’re more interested in high-intensity physical activities, go to the gym,
- Remove yourself from scenarios and conversations that you know would upset you,
- Weigh the pros and cons of investing yourself in emotionally harmful situations. For example, if you have to be in a team with someone who causes you anxiety at the office, see how you can contribute without engaging with the person or simply seek another project to work on,
- Try to have a day (at least) just for yourself,
- Organize a home spa day, alone or with friends,
- Attempt to maintain a consistent sleep schedule and learn how many hours of rest you need every night.
African American Women Should Engage in Forms of Self-Care Without Judgment
African American women are taught to be resilient, fierce, and strong, but aren’t encouraged to speak up or take up space in the workplace or some social situations. Those situations contradict each other and don’t encourage women of color to tend to their emotions and stay mentally healthy. The sacrifice of being there for everyone also means not being able to take a break.
That’s why caring for yourself as an African American woman is also a radical act in some ways. Loving yourself and occupying the space you deserve means living on your terms. One of the most valuable self-care ideas for African American women is to find a black woman therapist to help them learn to deal with stress.
When you choose a therapist for black women who can show you what being emotionally healthy feels like, you won’t remember a time when you weren’t aware of therapy and self-care benefits. An African American therapist will relate to you and help you feel seen and heard without bias or judgment.
Why Is Self-Care Important During Covid-19?
The Covid-19 pandemic has been going on for two years now. In a short time, it hasn’t just caused millions of deaths worldwide but also almost irreparable emotional and physical distress, too. Essentially, this virus is another reason why self-care is important now more than ever.
If there is a way to feel better during the ongoing health crisis, each one of us has the right to attempt it. On the other hand, it’s common to feel bad about wanting to improve your well-being when so many people are suffering and dying. But remember – you’re not responsible for the world, and feeling well will make you more fit to help others and be there for anyone in need. Helping others means helping yourself first.
Covid Has Significantly Affected the Mental Health of African Americans
The already ongoing mental health crisis in African American communities has worsened since Covid-19 started. According to Statista, in April 2020, African Americans accounted for 69% of Covid-related deaths. This is a heavy toll on many black minds, as everyone fears for their wellbeing while the pandemic is still going strong.
Therapy and acts of love could significantly help black women dealing with depression. Taking the first step on your own isn’t easy, but our community is becoming increasingly aware of the ongoing psychological health crisis, and we are finally witnessing some changes in that respect. African American women can find or go to workshops for women of color and find a therapist of color to begin their healing journey.
Therapy Is the Ultimate Form of Caring for Yourself
If you’re now more clear on the importance of taking care of yourself, give Women of Color Therapy a call and schedule your first therapy appointment. Once you contact us, we will provide all the information on what the first appointment will look like and what kind of issues we’ll be discussing over time. You can also join our workshops and meet others who will understand and encourage you. In many ways, loving yourself also means loving the people around you.
