Even though the term “self-care” has only recently entered the mainstream language, the practice itself has been around for quite some time. It’s not difficult to do once you understand it either. Put simply, self-care entails tending to your own needs.

Taking proactive measures to maintain or improve your emotional or physical wellbeing is an essential part of self-care. These days, when people discuss self-care, they usually mean the act of deciding to do something for their own health and happiness. This encompasses your emotional and physical health, and a self-care routine should make you feel better overall. 

With this in mind, let’s look at why taking good care of yourself – practicing self-care, in other words – is so important. Once you know that, you might be tempted to do it a little more, and that could change your entire life for the better. 

You Only Have One Body – You Need To Look After It 

One of the main reasons for taking better care of yourself is that you only have one body. This might seem like an obvious thing, but think of all the things you – and seemingly everyone else does – that puts their bodies in jeopardy. We don’t exercise enough, we eat the wrong foods, we put stress on ourselves (physically and emotionally), and more.  

When we practice self-care, whether that’s getting enough regular exercise, taking some time out when it’s required, eating more healthily, drinking enough water, doing fun things that alleviate stress, using good face serums, and much more, we can make sure our bodies get everything they need. We’ll stay healthier and happier and perhaps even live longer. We only have one body, so it’s crucial we take the best possible care of it and never take it for granted. 

It’s Good For Your Mental Health 

The World Health Organization estimates that 300 million people worldwide experience depression. If more people prioritized their health, this number would – according to experts – drop dramatically. 

Yet it’s not just depression that can be an issue; stress is hugely problematic as well. Although depression will often need a doctor’s care, stress is a little easier to treat yourself (although a doctor should still be spoken to if the symptoms don’t get better no matter what you try). 

Stress can come from all kinds of places and situations that self-care could help with. Refusing to put up with abusive relationships, excessive work demands, or financial obligations that cause worry and stress is essential. When you do all of this, you’re practicing self-care, putting yourself first, and reducing your stress levels. 

There are specific ways to reduce stress as well, and these can also be part of your self-care routine. When you exercise to take care of your body, for example, your brain releases endorphins, which have a mood-boosting effect. Stress can also be mitigated by engaging in activities that you enjoy, like different hobbies, getting enough sleep, and eating well.

You’ll Have Better Relationships

Being self-neglectful can lead to burnout, which in turn can make you irritable and angry. Neglecting to take care of yourself by sleeping, exercising, eating well, and engaging in pleasurable pursuits can lead to resentment and dissatisfaction with life, and you might begin to take this out of the people around you, including those you love the most. 

People will avoid you like the plague because they know that even the slightest provocation might set your anger off. The truth is that nobody likes to be around a negative person, therefore you will gradually become more isolated, lonely, and unhappy as a result.

Not taking the time for good self-care could be a major contributor to the breakdown of many relationships, and it’s such a simple thing you can fix in your life that it’s well worth taking a step back to think about how you might choose to do it. 

You’ll Have More Confidence 

When you practice self-care, you’ll find that you have a lot more confidence. If you think about what you eat, drink, and your exercise routine, for example, you’ll be confident that you know you look great and feel good too. If you take the time to relax when you need to so you’re not stressed, you’ll know you can enjoy yourself and make the most out of life, and that can boost your confidence too. 

Being confident in life can lead to many advantages both in your work and personal life. If practicing self-care is the way to get to that level of confidence, that’s no bad thing.