What is Self-Care and Why is it Important for Your Health

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Self-care is something we often overlook because we feel guilty for taking care of ourselves. We feel bad for not being productive enough, or for not having enough energy to do our jobs well. But self-care is essential to living a happy and healthy life. It’s also necessary to stay motivated and focused throughout the day.

In order to live a happier and healthier life, you must first learn how to properly care for yourself. This means learning how to prioritize your health and wellness above everything else. Once you’ve done that, you will find that you have more motivation, focus, and energy to accomplish anything you set your mind to.

As a health practitioner, I am aware of the importance of self-care, especially for my healthcare. However, there are just those days when things get very hectic that self-care goes into the backburner. This is a norm for most women who are trying their best to multitask. But when these things happen, all the more reason to prioritize self-care.  We need to take care of ourselves so we can do our best work.

Probably one of the main reasons why people tend to forget about self-care is because of the misconceptions they have about it. They think it’s selfish … expensive … or being idle.

It’s not.

Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean sitting around watching Netflix all day. It doesn’t take too much time either. Most importantly, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.

Dr. Gala’s Quick Take

Yes, self-care means taking responsibility for your own health by doing things like eating well, exercising, and managing stress. It’s important because it helps keep your body and mind healthy, which improves your overall well-being.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care means eating healthy food.

Self-care refers to taking responsibility for your own health and well-being. This includes eating healthy food, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and seeking medical attention when needed.

Self-care also includes actions that help prevent illness, promote healing when ill, and reduce the effects of illnesses on daily life.

How Does Self-Care Affect Your Health?

Self-care is important because it helps keep us healthy. We’re not just talking about taking care of our physical health. We’re referring to mental health too.

Meditation improves mental health.

Mental health includes everything from being happy to feeling calm and relaxed.

We need self-care to be able to function at our highest level. Without it, we feel stressed out, anxious, and depressed.

When we neglect ourselves, we become unhappy and unhealthy. This leads to poor performance at work, bad relationships, and even illness.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, exhausted, or unproductive, chances are you were lacking in self-care.

Here are some ways that self-care affects your health:

1) Self-care improves physical health.

2) Self-care reduces stress and anxiety.

3) Self-care increases productivity.

4) Self-care makes you happier.

5) Self-care gives you energy.

6) Self-care keeps you grounded.

7) Self-care prevents burnout.

8) Self-care promotes longevity.

9) Self-care boosts confidence.

Why is self-care important in preventing health concerns?

Regular exercise prevents diseases.

Self-care is not selfish; it’s essential to maintaining optimal health. Self-care helps prevent chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and arthritis.

In fact, research shows that people with higher levels of self-care had lower rates of chronic conditions than those with low levels of self-care.

The National Cancer Institute emphasize that up to 40% of cancers may be preventable by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This includes regular physical activity, a balanced diet, and avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption.

Research shows that people who engage in self-care, such as regular exercise, healthy nutrition, and stress management, experience reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Practicing self-care also contributes to lower risks of developing obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic health issues.

Why Is It Important to Take Care of Yourself Before Others?

Your physical health impacts your mental state.

If you’re not taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to help anyone else.

Take care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The last two categories are especially important because they affect your ability to help others.

Physical health affects your mental state. Your body needs food, water, sleep, exercise, and proper hygiene to function properly.

Mental health includes things like being happy, having self-esteem, and feeling positive emotions. These factors influence your attitude toward life and the world around you.

Emotional health involves managing stress, anxiety, anger, fear, guilt, shame, jealousy, envy, resentment, and depression. Emotions impact your relationships with family members, friends, coworkers, and strangers.

Spiritual health involves having a clear sense of purpose in life. It means transcending our material existence so we can live at another level. It also means achieving what we were meant to be doing. When we achieve this spiritual growth, we become more balanced and healthy both mentally and physically.

Taking care of yourself is essential to helping others. Without physical, emotional, and spiritual health, you won’t be capable of giving your full energy to those who need you most.

That’s why it’s important to take care of ourselves before helping others. We can only give out what we’ve got. And when we’re emotionally drained, physically exhausted, and mentally depleted, we can’t offer the best possible assistance.

This doesn’t mean we should neglect our families and friends. But it does mean that we shouldn’t put them ahead of ourselves.

Why is Self-Care Important For Your Health?

Older women reading book.

Self-care is essential if you want to live a long, healthy life. By taking care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, you’ll have the strength and resilience to face whatever comes next. And remember: when you take care of yourself, you give others permission to take care of themselves too.

When it comes to taking care of yourself, there’s never been a better time than now. With the rise of technology, social media, and busy schedules, it’s easier than ever before to neglect ourselves. But if you want to feel like you’re living a healthy lifestyle, you have to take care of yourself first. Start today by prioritizing your own needs over everyone else’s!

“If you came into my office, I’d ask you a lot of questions that would help us connect the dots … so that together we can deal with your toxic stress. Every situation is unique and you need a plan that works for you. Not a one-size-fits-all solution.

If you’re thinking you can’t come into my office, don’t worry. I’ve created a program with all of my initial recommendations to help you unravel the mystery. You can use it at home and at your convenience.

So if you’re thinking that managing chronic stress just isn’t possible … or even the answer … for you, I want to show you what you may be missing. And how you can identify the toxic stressors that are creating your symptoms with my Human Energy System Reboot. You can get started HERE.” – Dr. Gala

No time to read now? Click HERE to download as a PDF.

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About the author 

Dr. Gala

Dr. Gala Gorman is a licensed Acupuncturist, Naturopath, and Author who offers practical advice and programs for women who are experiencing health issues resulting from chronic stress.

She helps women intentionally reset their human energy system. This relieves their symptoms and restores their energy so that they can reclaim their "Super Woman" status.

Dr. Gala advocates for getting to the root cause of the health issue and treating it naturally. She encourages women to be their own health advocates. In her latest book, "What's Your Kryptonite?" readers learn to become their own PCP - Primary Care Person!

She uses advanced techniques including her MOLT Method™ to initiate an intentional reset. Molting ... or resetting … are critical processes for rejuvenation, growth, and adaptation in both the natural world and for all systems ... including the human body.

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In my book, “What’s Your Kryptonite?” I encourage readers to identify what’s draining their energy.

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