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How To Take Care of Yourself: Everything From Female Hygiene to Self-Care

Taking care of ourselves can be quite challenging. We are supposed to do it, but it often ends up being a chore and not something we feel like doing. Remembering to take care of yourself and managing your overall health and well-being properly can be challenging, but it is well worth the effort.
In this busy world, you may feel that practicing self-care is not your priority, so you might not know how to take proper care of yourself. Don’t worry, because we got you covered! Here are some self-care tips so that you can feel more comfortable and focused on what’s important.
What is self-care?
According to World Health Organization, self-care is the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.
Self-care is the process of taking care of oneself with behaviors that promote health and avoid health problems. In other words, it is about being healthy and taking your own health and wellness into consideration when making decisions that affect you. It can also be about giving yourself the time, space, and attention that you need to help you feel better about yourself.
Self-care is not just about taking a pamper day or going on a nice holiday. You know when you feel like you need to be a little bit more proactive with your health, whether it’s getting a flu shot, taking stress relief activities, eating a little healthier during your lunch break, or having enough sleep. Self-care doesn’t only mean hitting the gym, although that can definitely help, too.
There are many forms self-care can take. Looking out for your immune system and overall well-being count as a good self-care routine so you can be at your very best. Here are the aspects you need to consider on how to take care of yourself:
Physical Health
Your physical health is one of your most important assets. While some parts of your body can’t be changed, making sure that your health is at the bay will always be helpful. With well-practiced physical self-care, you can achieve improved immune function and stress management.
When looking at physical self-care, it’s important to remember that everyone has a set of physical needs and desires. Some people might have certain self-care strategies that are non-negotiable, such as the need for a hot bath or massage. There is no one size fits all rhythm for a physical self-care routine. However, there are ways that can guide you when it comes to setting your own personal goals and curating the best physical activity for you.
Good physical activity can help you, especially with your heart health and blood pressure, as well as in stress reduction.
Social Health
Research shows that socialization has been found to have a stronger effect on the immune system, longevity, and overall health. But, often in today’s fast-paced culture, it can be hard to make time for friends, or we simply neglect our relationships when life gets busy.
Social connection is incredibly important but it is easy to take them for granted. In fact, they can be one of the most difficult things to cultivate and maintain as you age. If you have never taken the time to learn how to have close relationships with others, now is the time to do so. It may be hard work at first, but over time, social self-care will become second nature.
Taking time out of your schedule for quarterly meetings or leisure activities helps build those important bonds between you and others.
Mental Health
Our thoughts are powerful; it influences our well-being in many ways. In order to be mentally healthy, it is important to focus on the things that make you happy and keep your mind clear of negativity. As such, it’s a great idea to spend time thinking about the best aspects of life and the people, places, and things that bring you joy and improve your self-esteem.
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as living with or without a mental health condition.
Emotional Health
All of us are struggling with uncomfortable emotions. Whether it be grief or anger or sadness, we all know it’s hard to get through. Feeling overwhelmed, stressed and anxious is all too common. Most of us deal with stress in one form or another at some point in our lives.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everyday life and struggle to cope with difficult situations. This can have a lasting impact on not just our relationship with ourselves, but also on those around us.
Our emotional well-being is just as important as others. Emotional health is about learning to manage your emotions and is an important skill that you can use in all aspects of life. Meanwhile, emotional self-care is having healthy coping skills to deal with our emotions and reduce stress.
Spiritual Health
Nurture your spirit — that might sound like an odd thing to say, considering that the word itself has a religious connotation.
A spiritual practice can take many forms. In fact, it’s probably what makes spirituality so diverse. While there are plenty of things that fit into this category, the idea is that cultivating our spirit doesn’t have to be religious at all.
Spiritual self-care is not limited to attending a religious service. It’s about a deeper connection with your soul and a more fulfilling way to live your life. Like any kind of exercise or activity, you need to find the routine that works best for you. One of the best spiritual self-care ideas is to meditate to reduce stress and focus on yourself.
In addition, research suggests that spiritual self-care has multiple wellness benefits, so it is an important aspect of your life as well.
Why is self-care important?
Questions like this one are posed all the time. You may want to know why self-care is important for your own well-being, or whether it has health benefits.
Self-care is considered a crucial part of staying healthy. It can be challenging to be well, but there are several proven ways to accomplish it. Self-care is an important part of maintaining good health, and we should all do our best to make sure we’re doing all that we can for the sake of our well-being.
We often neglect this most precious aspect of life as we develop our careers, social lives, and other commitments, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t make self-care a priority. Do not feel guilty if you feel you are enjoying your self-indulgence. You have earned a ticket to enjoy your alone time.
How can I take care of myself?
Self-care routines can be beneficial for your day-to-day life. There are plenty of ways how to take care of yourself. Here are some of the tips and health benefits for your self-care journey.
Bathe regularly
Good personal hygiene is essential to promoting good health. Aside from being a form of preventive care, it can help keep infections at bay. Besides, regular bathing and showering help clear away the dirt, oils, and other debris that can be deposited on your skin and scalp over the course of a day.
Eat a healthy diet
It is recommended that we should eat a wide variety of food. It could be eating more fruits, veggies, and whole grain products. A healthy diet will help in providing all the nutrients needed by the human body.
While eating healthy is something we can all start tomorrow and take the first step toward, you should also assess what your body needs to create a self-care diet.
Exercise regularly
It’s no secret that being active is good for you. The concept of being active is quite simple: you move your body and do something.
Being active can have multiple benefits as it can boost your mood, release tension, and make you feel better mentally. It also lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Exercising can be difficult, but it is a form of self-care that will greatly pay off if you stick with it.
Talk to someone you trust
When you’re going through a tough time, one of the best and most effective things you can do to feel better is to talk to someone you trust. Talking has been proven to help people who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
You may be thinking that talking means telling all your problems so they have no chance of solving themselves or becoming better, but that’s not what it means. You can speak with a friend, a family member, or someone else who’s been in your shoes before because they will listen to what you have to say.
Talking with someone can also help you with your emotional and mental health. It does not only promote self-care, but it also cultivates your relationship with other people.
Create a to-do list or a journal
There are a lot of people out there who can’t seem to deal with their feelings. They just want them all bottled up inside. Make no mistake, this is a really unhealthy way to deal with things. It’s OK to let some of those emotions out while they’re still fresh in your mind!
One of the effective ways toward self-care is writing things down. If you want to deal with overwhelming emotion, one of the best ways to do so is through writing. Experimenting with different ways of putting things into words will help you gain clarity and perspective on what’s really going on inside your head. Write about whatever’s going on in your life at the time. Don’t worry about whether what you write is perfect or not.
Get adequate sleep
Sleep is vital to the body and mind. Without adequate sleep, you may feel tired, irritable, and unfocused. The human body needs time to regenerate from the day’s activities, and it also plays an important role in making sure that you have the energy you need to complete daily tasks.
It is a no-brainer that everyone needs a good sleep. There are many different types of sleep but generally, they can be divided into two: light sleep and deep sleep. No matter what age you are or what your level of activity is, everyone needs about seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.
Take a mindfulness training
Meditation is a practice that may seem foreign to some. Maybe you’ve tried it before and gave up because you didn’t know what to expect. Or maybe you didn’t like it. However, meditation is something everyone can benefit from.
Meditation is an essential part of living a healthier, calmer lifestyle as it can largely impact our spiritual, mental, and emotional health. This can also improve your energy levels and chances of having a more positive outlook on life.
Sit quietly for a few minutes as you meditate. Meditation can help with your chronic pain, heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, anxiety, and depression. The benefits don’t stop there — meditation has also been shown to improve your cognitive skills and even speed up your learning process.
Take a yoga class (or hit the gym!)
Yoga is an amazing way to get in shape, the same as going to the gym. Whether you’re looking for a way to learn more about your body, exercise, or get relief from chronic pain, yoga is a popular option. Taking yoga classes can help you with your mental and physical health. They can also help you increase your energy levels and sleep quality.
Hitting the gym on the other hand is more systematic. Review your self-care plan with your trainer to achieve your health goals.
Hit the sun and stroll outside
There are so many people getting stressed out by various things. Hitting the sun, walking outside, and getting fresh air can help aid stress.
We often hear people say that getting some fresh air makes people feel better. Spending time outside can help you manage stress, lower your blood pressure, and live in the moment. Exposure to the sun can produce serotonin, a natural mood booster. A great form of self-care, walking outside also fosters creativity and enhances cognitive abilities and focus.
Set healthy boundaries
Healthy boundaries are much needed to establish and maintain one’s sense of self-worth and identity. We set our boundaries with others in our lives as it protects us from being taken advantage of and allows us to take care of ourselves.
In setting boundaries, remember to be systematic. Review the lifestyle you have and establish healthy boundaries. By doing this, we build trust with ourselves, our loved ones, and other people, both personally and professionally.
If you are dealing with spiritual, emotional, physical, mental, and emotional health problems, a doctor’s appointment can help with your medically-reviewed self-care plan.
Final Note
“Take care of yourself!”
That sounds like a simple and possibly even obvious statement, right? However, many people still struggle to take care of themselves well enough. I often hear women say, “I am overwhelmed by the things I need to do on daily basis, so I don’t know how to practice self-care.”
Self-care is a way to take care of yourself without depending on anyone else. Having a good self-care routine is not selfishness as it allows you to focus more on yourself. You will feel better in the long run when you know what self-care practices work best for your own health.
We need to remember that there are many healthy ways to take care of ourselves without neglecting our responsibilities. There are so many things that contribute to a healthier and longer life — from eating and sleeping habits to exercising routine and even meditation.
In order for us to achieve a fulfilling life, we need to look out for our well-being first by using proper self-care plans. That being said, spending time with ourselves using different self-care practices and newly-found self-knowledge can help us boost our overall wellness.

Joey is an AB Psychology graduate of the University of St. La Salle – Bacolod. Her life’s passions include writing, film, and spending hours on end binge-watching fashion vloggers on Youtube.