Tips on Preventative Self-Care

Tips on Preventative Self-Care

by Colleen Kavanagh

It is vital to identify thoughtful approaches to improving one’s overall health and taking purposeful steps toward physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Following are tips for ongoing management of one’s wellness.

• MOVE Any consistent movement of the body is good movement. It can help to avoid thinking of it of as a “workout” in any traditional sense. Listen to the body and aim for 30 minutes most days of the week (four or more) of whatever feels good—yoga, cross-fit, dance, tai chi, studio cycling, among others. Even better: take the exercise outside to unplug and connect with nature.

• FUEL Get a fill of fresh fruits and veggies everyday. Consider these food groups unlimited. Nourish the body with a variety of nutrients to perform and feel its best and to build a foundation of long-term health. Local and organic are best if possible (and can be affordable) but if not available, any fruit or veggie is better than none.

• PURPOSE Mental and emotional health is proven to be as essential to longevity as physical wellness. Find and pursue one’s passion, identify the short-term and long-term motivations, and make every decision—small and large—with intention.

• SLEEP There is a strong correlation between sleep and health, as well as the direct effect of sleep on career satisfaction, quality of relationships and overall happiness. Prioritize sleep like you would any other appointment. Get into a consistent routine that allows for an individualized proper amount of sleep, plus 30 minutes for buffer if possible. Keep the bedroom a tech-free zone, and start to incorporate nighttime wind-down rituals to help aid in relaxation. Try taking a warm bath or shower at night, putting on some calming music and doing some reading or journaling, and if meditation or yoga is the thing, the internet is full of free resources to help individuals relax and prepare themselves for catching some quality z’s.

• EDUCATE ONESELF Find opportunities to indulge one’s curiosity and learn new things every day. Any subject is fair game. Try new puzzles, take a course, join an education forum, or attend a symposium on a topic of interest. Keeping the mind growing, thinking and stretching on a regular basis helps to prevent chronic diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

• EXPLORE NEW PERSPECTIVES Consider new viewpoints and be open-minded to approaches to health and to life that have not yet personally been discovered. This is a key to personal growth.

• EXPAND THE TOOLKIT It’s likely that there are many resources and untapped potential right in your local area. This means new therapies to complement current efforts, experts that can act as health guides, and a like-minded community of peers that can serve as a personal wellness advisory board. Surround yourself with people that align with your values, make you laugh, challenge your perspective, and fill your life with joy. Build a tribe of like-minded individuals committed to their own self-improvement as well as lifting those around them.

Visit SoulBeing.com to find resources in the area, start to build the personal wellness network both locally and online, and take the next step in the preventative self-care journey. See ad on page 33 and Resource Guide on page 38.

Colleen Kavanagh is a Wellness Advocate for SoulBeing.