“Taking time for yourself is an investment in your mental health and well-being.”

In today’s fast-paced world, it seems that busyness is often glorified. People wear their hectic schedules like badges of honor, boasting about how little time they have for themselves and how much they have on their plates.

But what if we told you that taking time for yourself is not only essential for your own well-being, but it can also lead to greater productivity and success in the long run?

First and foremost, taking time for yourself allows you to recharge and relax. When we are constantly on the go, it can be easy to burn out and become overwhelmed.

Taking a step back and giving yourself a break can help to reduce stress and improve your overall mental health. This could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, going for a walk, or indulging in a hobby you enjoy.

Not only can taking time for yourself improve your mental Health, but it can also benefit your physical health. When we are constantly running from one task to the next, we often neglect our basic needs such as exercise, proper nutrition, and sleep.

Taking time for yourself allows you to refocus and set priorities. It can be easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and lose sight of what is truly important to us.

Tips for taking time for yourself

It can be challenging, but it’s important to make it a priority.

Here are a few tips:

• Schedule it: Just like you would schedule a meeting or appointment, schedule in time for yourself. This could be a daily mindfulness practice, a weekly hobby, or a monthly self-care day.
• Set boundaries: It’s important to set boundaries with both yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to say no to things that don’t align with your priorities or that would take away from your personal time.
• Unplug: Disconnecting from technology and social media can be a great way to give your mind a break and focus on the present moment.
• Make it a habit: The more you make taking time for yourself a priority, the easier it will become. It may take some effort at first, but it will soon become a natural part of your routine.

Taking time for yourself is essential in a world that glorifies busyness. Not only can it improve your mental and physical health, but it can also lead to increased productivity and success.

Self-care

What Are the Benefits of Self-Care?

Many think that self-care only yields short-term benefits, but science proves otherwise.

Let’s check some of the long-lasting rewards of self-care:

Reduces the risk of heart attack

Practicing a little self-care every day can make an impact on your overall health.

How? It triggers a relaxation response, which helps fight chronic stress. By now you already know the negative effects of stress, especially for Black men.

Studies show that 65 percent of Black men over age 40 are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

What’s one of the contributing factors to this? Stress.

While self-care practices aren’t a cure for health conditions they can help reduce stress and the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Boosts your immune system

Self-care isn’t only about taking a day off or getting a haircut. It also includes feeding your body nutritious and healthy food.

Some immune-boosting foods contain essential nutrients like vitamin C, beta-carotene, and vitamin E. These foods are also high in antioxidants which help fight illnesses and keep your immune system strong.

Promotes Motivation and Productivity

Self-care helps boost your self-esteem and confidence, which releases a feel-good hormone called dopamine — also known as the “motivation molecule”.

This chemical in your brain is associated with learning, memory, focus, and attention.

Builds healthy relationships

The more you take care of yourself, the more you take care of those around you.

Self-care helps you foster a better relationship with yourself which helps improve your relationship with your friends and family.

Improves mental health

When you practice self-care and engage in relaxing activities, you give yourself a mental break. You’re also activating something called the parasympathetic nervous system.

What this does is signal your body to go into ‘rest and restore’ mode. This system plays a role in calming anxiety, easing emotional conflict, and improving mental clarity.

To see a change in your mental health, it’s best to have a regular self-care routine.

Self-care is a lifestyle

Self-care is more than a trendy buzzword, it is a practice that could transform your life. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated, it starts with making your physical and mental health a priority.

Now that you know the benefits of self-care, we challenge you to implement it in your daily life.

Remember that you are not alone, Everyone struggles to take time for themselves, so try not to get down on yourself for not having everything perfectly balanced all of the time.

How can you start a self-care routine?

The first step is to think about your current health, says Dr. Palmer.

“Are there areas of vulnerability?”

“Have you been diagnosed with any health problems related to lifestyle, such as prediabetes, diabetes, or high blood pressure?”

“Are you struggling with burnout, depression, or anxiety? If so, starting a self-care routine might help you address these issues.”

Think comprehensively about the things that you might need, but aren’t getting, such as a healthier diet, starting an exercise routine, getting enough sleep, cutting back on your use of alcohol, or spending more quality time with friends and family, says Dr. Palmer.

“Pick one thing and come up with some small habits that will help you work toward correcting these deficits in your self-care routine.”

• Make a list of things that bring you enjoyment, big or small. This could include your family, walking, a particular scent, music, receiving back rubs, etc.
• Decide how to incorporate those things into your daily life.
• After deciding what self-care practices you want to incorporate into your life, make goals and choose how often you’ll practice them. Make sure your goals are realistic.

For example, if you’re trying to work out more, start with an easy routine/schedule. Then, when you successfully stick to that routine for a couple of weeks, set a more challenging goal.

• Surround yourself with people who are also practicing self-care activities; this will help encourage you to keep going.
• It’s okay to have off days and experience bumps in the road. Our needs change over time, and we must adapt to this.

Self-reflection is an important part of personal growth as it enables us to look at our lives objectively, gain insight into our experiences, and make changes that can help us lead better lives.

But it can be difficult to make time for self-reflection when life gets busy.

“Self-care is your fuel … Whatever the road ahead or the path you’ve taken, self-care is what keeps your motor running and your wheels turning.”

What Is Self-Reflection?

Self-reflection is the process of bringing your attention to what’s happening in your life in a mindful and open-minded way.

Self-reflection is all about creating self-awareness. So many of us focus on getting ahead that we don’t necessarily take time to reflect on what’s going on within us.

There are many ways to practice self-reflection, but I’ve always used writing as a way to process my thoughts and feelings.

Journaling has helped me to learn more about myself by identifying patterns, habits, and regular themes that come up in my life.

If I never took the time to get my thoughts out of my head, I probably would not be the positive person that I am today.

Why Is Self-Reflection Important?

Self-reflection is one of the best things you can do to create a positive mindset and discover a greater connection to yourself.

Here are the reasons why you should make self-reflection a priority in your life:

To make sense of things

Self-reflection can help you process your thoughts and feelings. When we keep our thoughts floating around in our heads, we only confuse or frustrate ourselves more.

Getting your thoughts on paper can help you understand why you’re feeling a certain way and make those feelings a little easier to navigate.

“There is no greater journey than the one that you must take to discover all of the mysteries that lie within you.” — Michelle Sandlin

To uncover breakthroughs

Whenever I write, I end up with some sort of solution to my problems. I recognize what I need to do next because everything is laid out in front of me.

When we keep thinking the same thoughts over and over without taking action, we see our problems as bigger than they really are.

By taking a moment to pause, reflect, and look within, you’ll find that you actually have many of the answers you’ve been seeking for so long.

“The soul usually knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” — Caroline Myss

To challenge your thoughts

Self-reflection offers us the opportunity to challenge our ways of thinking.

Most of us have a tendency to ruminate on the bad things; for example, our perceived weaknesses, mistakes we’ve made, or embarrassing moments.

When you actually take the time to reflect and write these things down, it’s important to ask yourself if you really believe them.

“Don’t believe everything you think.” — Byron Katie

To recognize change & track progress

Self-reflection allows us to look back and see where we’ve come from.

If you take the time to write down a few thoughts about your day, you can look back on it weeks, months, or years later and see how much has changed.

This can help you recognize that the things you were so worried about before were perhaps not so significant.

To increase self-awareness

If you’re on your own self-improvement journey, you need to know both where you’re going and where you are right now.

Without self-awareness, we can’t fully understand our emotions, values, goals, or strengths.

I’ve learned so much about myself simply by reflecting on the place I’m at right now and considering how it will help me get to where I want to be.

“Change requires two things: a goal, and an awareness of where one currently is in order to assess the discrepancy between the two.” — Psychology Today

To inspire self-acceptance

I’m all about POSITIVE self-reflection and making sure that if I ever say or write something negative about myself, I follow it up with something good.

This has helped me to increase my self-acceptance and keep going even when I doubt myself.

For example,

• I was having one of those days when I kept comparing myself to everyone. In my mind, I was telling myself that I wasn’t beautiful or pretty enough.
• I started to write because I knew this was something I needed to let go of. As I started to write down my feelings, I began to wonder WHY I needed to believe I was *pretty*. What importance did that have in my life? It seemed so inconsequential to who I am as a person. I started to write, “I just have to be confident in myself and know that I AM beautiful, inside and out.”

To live with more intention

Reflecting on what’s going on in your life can simply serve as a reminder of what you do on a daily basis.

Most of our days end up blending into one another, so regular reflection can be an opportunity to show you that the days are different.

On the other hand, it can encourage you to think about how you can add more joy and fun into your daily life

Creating a Routine for Self-Reflection

It’s important to make time for self-reflection on a regular basis — ideally every day or at least once a week. Consider setting aside 10–15 minutes each day or an hour each week specifically devoted to self-reflection.

You don’t need any special equipment, all you need is some alone time and perhaps a journal or notebook in which you can write down your thoughts or ideas as they come up during your reflection session.

The key is to create a routine that works for you so that it becomes something you look forward to doing on a regular basis rather than something you dread or push off until later.

Final thoughts

Engaging in self-care activities like exercise, meditation, and spending time with loved ones can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

Similarly, self-reflection allows individuals to identify their values, strengths, and areas for improvement, which can lead to greater self-awareness and a more fulfilling life.

In today’s fast-paced and demanding world, it’s easy to neglect our own needs in favor of work, family, and other responsibilities. However, by prioritizing self-care and self-reflection, individuals can improve their relationships, work performance, and overall quality of life.

Justly is an app that can help users establish positive habits and routines that support their personal goals. By providing tools and resources for tracking progress, setting reminders, and staying motivated, Justly can be a valuable tool for anyone looking to prioritize self-care and achieve their desired outcomes.

Justly: Habits, Goals, Journal

How Allocating A Time for Self-care And Self-reflection Can Help You? was originally published in Justly Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.