Self-Care Is All About Living Well

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-stretching-outdoors-7746152/

Many people are surprised to learn how much better they feel when they simply focus on themselves for a change. Unfortunately, we often get caught up in the idea that self-care is a selfish act. Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth, and the way that we take care of ourselves has a direct impact on how well we can care for those that rely on us the most.

Today, Keep The Fire Lit shares a few bits of tried-and-true advice on how to treat yourself well when you’re living with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Renewed Energy

 Because one of the main symptoms of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is fatigue, one of the best places to start your self-care efforts is to do things that revitalize and energize you. A few tips offered by Harvard Health include:

  • Quit smoking
  • Watch your sleep schedule
  • Limit alcohol consumption
  • Drink more water

 Self-Care for Mental Wellness

Self-care offers more than just physical benefits. When you prioritize the state of your mental well-being, you’ll be in a better mental and emotional state to best care for yourself. The main sources of stress for adults are typically money and the job we have that makes the money. It’s a vicious cycle that requires your time and attention. Something you can do here is to change jobs if stress at the office gives you anxiety, insomnia, or simply makes it harder for you to focus on yourself.

Even if you love your job, you may need to look for ways to reorganize your spending and saving habits so that you aren’t constantly worried about paying your mortgage. One thing many people overlook is utilizing the equity in their home to pay off debt (or even to start a business). Refinancing allows you to do this, which can either help you lower your mortgage payment or cash in on your equity (or both).

Calming Your Nerves

In addition to changing your job or your financial habits, you can also practice emotional self-care by using herbs and other natural remedies. Lavender, lemon balm, and chamomile are all herbs that you can easily brew into a mind-calming tea. Prayer, meditation, and journaling can also help you reset your emotional self so that you can best turn your attention to the things within you that need healing.


Physical Self-Care

Physical self-care runs the gamut of activities, from exercise to massages to keeping up with our healthcare appointments. For exercise, start with cardio activities, which can help improve your weight and your heart health. This could be something as simple as climbing stairs or jump roping. The Manual recommends starting with a light to moderate workout.

On the days when you simply don’t have the energy to work out, spend some time in the sun. Sunlight triggers your body’s natural vitamin D production. In addition to helping reduce the chances of getting certain types of cancer, vitamin D strengthens your immune system and can help lower your blood pressure.

Deepen Personal Connections

Spending quality time with friends and family has been shown to have numerous benefits for our mental and emotional well-being, making it an essential part of self-care. Sharing a meal together, like cooking a favorite family recipe or trying out a new dish, fosters a sense of connection and intimacy that can strengthen relationships and alleviate stress. Taking the time to prioritize these relationships can lead to a happier, healthier you.

Change Jobs

 While that might be easier said than done, the fact remains that if your current job isn’t giving you the satisfaction you need, you’re the only one who can change that situation. Luckily, there are plenty of job boards out there, not to mention resume tips and templates. That being said, your cover letter is often the first thing prospective employers see, so it’s worth taking some time to learn what a cover letter is in order to give yourself an advantage over the competition.

Find Your Balance Through Self-Care

Ultimately, self-care really is all about living well. And when you have any type of pre-existing health condition, taking care of yourself, both mentally and physically, can help you best manage your overall wellness battle. But as much as you have to take care of your body, don’t forget your mental and even financial wellness as well. Changing jobs, drinking tea to destress, and even looking for ways to save money, such as refinancing your home, can all help, but it’s up to you to take the first steps toward self-care control.

Keep The Fire Lit is here to help you stay motivated and live your best life. Let us know if you have any questions!

 

How To Be Happy

www.motivation4success.net

 

Happiness is a Choice

We all want to be happy in life. We talk about how we want to be happy, but most of us do nothing about it. Most of us believe in a lie. We believe that we can only be happy when everything in our life is perfect. We believe happiness is the relationship, job, ring, country home, vacations, beauty products, wardrobe, and weight loss.

The problem is, these things alone don’t create real and lasting happiness.

So, happiness becomes this mysterious thing we want but we don’t know how to get.

Happiness Does Not Depend On External Things

It’s not external – this is good news because that means we don’t have to wait for everything in life to be perfect, nor do we have to have control of everything to feel a certain way. We can have happiness NOW. Knowing this, is a game-changer because it means we can be happy right now. And something great happens when we do this: when we feel happy, our outward experience changes in ways we could never imagine.

It’s common to fall into the trap of thinking we’ll be happy only when everything in our lives is exactly the way we want it to be. And for us to be happy, we must work hard to control these external circumstances to make them “right.”

But, when we make these things happen, we want them to fill us up, validate us, or make us feel whole and complete. Even if they do for a while, these changes will not be sustainable. With luck, we eventually realize that external things don’t make us happy long-term.

www.motivation4success.net

Choose Happiness Every Day

For you to be happy, you must first understand what happiness is. Happiness is pleasure and purpose. Pleasure means feeling positive emotions, such as delight, joy, and surprise, in the present moment. And purpose is about living a life which is worthwhile to you.

When you are happy, you savor the food you eat, are more mindful in your daily experiences and appreciate all the beautiful things life has to offer. You count your blessings, are kind to others, and focus on being the best you can be. Every day you are mindful, appreciative and enthusiastic about life.

Making Yourself Happy

Being truly happy starts with being good to yourself. A few ways to do this include:

  • Become more aware of your thoughts and feelings.
  • Listen to your inner self. It’s pretty smart.
  • Forgive yourself for past mistakes.
  • Accept who you are in this moment.
  • Set realistic goals for yourself.
  • Stop holding yourself to unreasonable standards of perfection.
  • Take pride in what you’ve accomplished, even the small wins.
  • Make yourself a priority.
  • Remove negativity from your life.
  • Set realistic boundaries and hold firm to them.
  • Do nothing. Take time to simply be.
  • Reconnect with loved ones.
  • Start each day with intention.
  • Find the positive in every situation.
  • Do more of what you love and less of what you don’t.
  • Practice gratitude.
  • Find joy in the small things.

Loving and valuing yourself means accepting that you’re imperfect and choosing to be happy anyway. It means working every day to find fulfilment in your life. It means looking in the mirror every day and telling yourself “I love you and I choose to be happy.”

It all boils down to you. You have the choice to be happy. You have the power to be happy.

Do you have the courage to make the changes necessary to be happy?

30 Day Happiness Journal

Get the 30 day happiness journal that provides information on small steps you can take right now, to improve your level of happiness and a page for each of the next 30 days in which you can record what you are doing to increase your happiness and how it turns out.

How To Have a Good Life