Self-Care is Longevity

Self-Care Is Longevity

"The person who learns to love their self also develops respect for the Devine core that is within." Na'im Akbar.

The inaugural Global Wellness Day (GWD) was launched in 2012 and has since become an annual celebration. Many countries worldwide participate in this annual event with activities promoting individual and collective wellness.

Saturday, June 11, 2022, marked a significant milestone for GWD. Even if you were unaware of GWD or the latest celebration, you probably considered changing your lifestyle and living more healthfully at some point. Fundamentally, GWD is about living a healthier life.

The next celebration of GWD is June 10, 2023. Indeed, do not wait until next year to begin your wellness routine. Now is an excellent time to prioritize your wellness to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit. Self-care basics include activities that focus on your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Last weekend's celebration of GWD was a reminder of the value of wellness.

Self-care is among the highest levels of care you can provide for yourself. Unfortunately, there is a mistaken notion that self-care is about overindulgence in the finer things in life. Self-care is about simplicity, adopting healthier habits, learning to listen to our bodies, and responding to our needs in crises.

Our stressors are high; politics, supply chain issues, mass shootings, inflation, high gas prices, stagnant wages, income, and wealth gap exist. So, in some ways, you can do little about these stressors, but you can practice appropriate self-care to manage them. For example, deciding to consume alcohol to numb your feelings to "cope" is not an appropriate short-term or long-term strategy to address these daily stressors.

Indeed, you already have the resources to establish a healthier lifestyle; You are the principal resource in the beginning to lead this improved lifestyle. So, you can seek alternatives to how you live by developing alternative attitudes about life, your beliefs, goals, and behaviors. With all that is happening around us, it is not challenging to understand if you have negative intrusive thoughts about the present and the future.

Let us begin with something simple. First, you can make an Affirmation Jar to deal with these stressors or negative intrusive thoughts. For example, you can purchase an affirmation jar or a positivity jar. Still, you can create your affirmation jar since you are the principal resource in creating a healthier lifestyle. To make your affirmation or positivity jar, you need an empty jar, index cards, a marker, and as many meaningful, inspirational quotes as possible.

Then, write your quotes on the index cards, fold them, and place them inside your jar. Use as many colored index cards as you would like. You do not have to use index cards if you do not have any at home; you can do whatever you want. You pull a quote and repeat it to yourself throughout the day. You can also repeat your affirmation when you begin to think negatively. As you find new affirming quotes, you can add them to your jar. You can also decorate your jar as you wish.

We cannot all live in Blue Zones. Still, we can adopt health-promoting behaviors from these communities worldwide to strengthen our healthy lifestyle goals. Master the basics of self-care: sleep well, eat a healthful diet, exercise, practice using emotional intelligence, and maintain healthy relationships.

Self-care is a self-improvement lifestyle.

Empowering Minds. Inspiring Lives.