It is undeniable that most of us have a strong urge to help other people, especially if they are close to us. Be a rock for them or give them a shoulder to cry on. You know the fact that you need to look after yourself, but it often takes the back seat. In a lot of cases, you will find yourself on the giving end until you are drained. There will be a time when you won’t be able to recognize yourself. In this article, I will try to help you come out of this loop and become a better version of your self.
What do we mean by “Self Care”?
Before we go ahead and answer this question, it essential to look at self-care and being self-centered as two different things, with just a thin line separating the two. There is a need to strike the right balance.
Taking care of yourself is releasing the fact that you are important and your needs should not be ignored. Or in other words, it is like helping others by helping yourself first. The truth is that we will be needed by people round the clock, but most important is that you are also needed by you.
Common myths and misconception around self-care
For the past many decades there was absolutely no discussion on the idea of self-care which has led to the birth of many myths around the idea of self-care. The good thing is that people have now started realizing the importance of self-care. Following are the five (of many) misconceptions that need to be busted:
- Having self-care as a priority is Selfish
- People need you all the time
- If you have your guards up, people will leave you
- Never expect something in return
- You worth is determined by what people think of you
Why is it important?
If you are still stuck with the thought if self-care is really important or not, lets clear it once and for all. The effect of it on you will be life-affirming and nothing less than magical. The following are 3 most important reasons for prioritizing taking your own care over others.
It makes you more productive
What makes you more productive is dependent on what you think is important for yourself. Taking care of yourself enables you to bring the focus you need to accomplish what you want. It further lets you channelize your energy in the right direction.
I am sure you must think of the goals you wanted to achieve or trips you wanted to take, but you never got time. It is important to put yourself and your goals on the priority.
Helps improve your physical health
There are two types of reflex actions: Sympathetic and para-sympathetic reflex action. Typically, the sympathetic reflexes are responsible to act at the time of emergency situations or what we call “fight or flight” response. There is a plethora of research done which shows that stressing too much can cause the body to react with the sympathetic reflex action. Under this reaction, our body responds by secreting hormones like epinephrine (adrenaline). This hormone causes our body to undergo some changes. It prepares our body for increasing blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels. A prolonged response like this can cause serious problems to our physical health and also deteriorates your immune system.
Conversely, if you are relaxed and at peace, your body responds with para-sympathetic reflex action. It makes you feel relaxed, refreshed, and rather gives a boost to your immune system. Therefore, when you learn to take off the burden of other people’s problems from your own shoulder, you will find to deploy your sympathetic system less often, which is good for both, your mental as well as physical health.
Boosts your self-esteem
If you start prioritizing yourself, you will eventually get time to do things that you want to do. This has a reaction on our brain which leads to the secretion of endorphins that lifts your self-worth as well as your confidence. Alongside this, it fuels you to rediscover what you want in life (the values) and realize your passion. It is high time you make a decision to collect yourself and take the step in the right direction of discovering your real self.