Take time for self care

by Megan Barton, Cody Enterprise

It seems all too often that we become caught up in the mundane tasks of daily life and find ourselves in a rut. Sure, we’re busy with work, school, chores, kids, etc., but forgetting about ourselves can prove to be the easiest form of self sabotage.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about a routine during the week to keep myself from piling all the “boring” tasks onto the weekend. But, I do find it to be important to take time for myself and activities I enjoy.

According to mhanational.org, forms of self-care are proven to reduce stress and anxiety levels, while increasing overall compassion. Fifteen minutes per day is the average time which an individual spends on self-care. Setting small goals, finding an activity you enjoy, even focusing on basic tasks like 30 minutes of exercising per day are all forms of self-care. Don’t think of it as some extreme, money sucking event you need to do each month to keep yourself sane. Keep it simple and enjoyable.

It may seem as though taking time for ourselves is just another “to-do” on a never ending list, but the benefits we reap from it are worthwhile. Being able to perform to the best of our abilities won’t show unless we take time (remember, only 15 minutes per day) to reset ourselves.

With September being suicide prevention month I find that self-care is a topic that we all need to be reminded of so that we can hopefully avoid going down a rough road in the future. Allowing ourselves one-on-one time is the first step in taking care of our physical and mental health, –start today. It won’t be something you regret.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health please visit https://www.nami.org/ and other similar sites.