Self-Care: Your Key to Mental and Physical Well-Being
If you are supporting and assisting someone who may be in distress, it is critical that you also take care of yourself. Self-care does not imply prioritizing yourself over your loved ones. It simply means that you are being attentive of your own needs in order to better help those you care about. You are better able to address the needs of others when you take care of yourself and are not stressed.
Self-care can take many different forms. Self-care does not have to be complicated; it may be as easy as taking a deep breath when you see yourself becoming agitated. Maintaining your physical and emotional health will likely leave you better prepared to deal with life’s difficulties.
Self-care can help you deal with stress
While little stress can be beneficial in motivating you to complete a task, chronic stress and worry can be detrimental to your mental and physical health. Connecting with a loved one or practicing meditation, for example, reduces the harmful impacts of stress by enhancing your mood and boosting your energy and confidence levels.
Self-care can be beneficial for your relationship with your partner
Having your own interests helps to build your relationship with your partner. Depending only on your partner to offer all of your supports and satisfy all of your needs could place a strain on your relationship. It is preferable to have interests outside of your relationship in order to foster independence and confidence. All of this leads to better mental wellness.
Self-care can be beneficial to your physical health
Self-care begins with attending to your basic requirements. It is about more than simply your mental wellness. It’s also about taking care of your physical self by eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly.
Self-Care Techniques for Stress Management
Maintain your social connections
Social ties are vital in many aspects of people’s lives, from finding work and getting advice on critical decisions to receiving support during difficult times and having someone with whom to enjoy life and relax. Social connectivity is an important predictor of happiness and resilience. People and communities who are socially linked are happier and healthier, and they are better able to take care of their lives and solve problems.
Set aside time for yourself.
Setting aside some time for yourself allows you to spend time alone doing what you want, rather than what others think you should be doing. It’s a simple self-care exercise that many people struggle to implement. Individuals who devote time to themselves may feel compelled to be productive instead. Yet, with practice, you can develop the habit of actually taking time for yourself and simply letting yourself exist without needing to accomplish anything. Self-care is an essential daily practice that will result in a better balance of your wellness dimensions and enhanced overall health and wellness. Life is valuable and it should be savored.
Employee Assistance Plan Benefits
Although it may seem that the benefits of mental health counseling only apply to people with mental illness, this is not the case. In fact, anyone can benefit from counseling as it helps people gain a deeper understanding of themselves. The benefits of mental health counseling are:
Counseling helps people practice unconditional self-love.
Self-love is the concept of appreciating yourself and feeling good about yourself no matter what is going on in your life. When people are going through difficult or stressful times in their lives, it is easy to have a negative image of themselves. The more degrading ideas people have about themselves, the worse their mental state will be. Counseling can help people break out of their mental ruts so they can realize that they are worthy of love and respect, even if at some point life was not what they thought it would be.
Counseling helps people practice unconditional self-love.
Self-efficacy is the opposite of self-confidence. A good sense of self-reliance helps people overcome obstacles in their lives. This is because people with self-efficacy believe in themselves wholeheartedly. A counselor can help patients see that they are fully capable of achieving their goals and overcoming other obstacles in their lives.
People learn how to manage their stress levels.
Whether someone is suffering from a substance use disorder or a mental illness, managing stress is essential to recovery. Counseling services allow patients to identify what is stressing them and how to address the situation effectively.
A counselor can identify any behavior that is self-injurious.
People may participate in activities that do not benefit them. For example, a person with depression may find that drinking alcohol every weekend makes their depression worse because alcohol causes depression. Counselors can identify these behaviors that worsen a person’s mental state.
Utilizing your Employee Assistance Plan benefits to improve your well-being
Most employers offer EAP support to employees who are experiencing personal or work-related difficulties. Typical benefits include No Charge counseling, referrals, and follow-up services related to mental health, financial planning, legal aid, or childcare problems. By encouraging employees to take advantage of provided benefits, employers contribute to a person first culture of person. Addressing concerns or stresses without hesitancy associated with cost, stigma, or missed workdays enables people to resolve situations before they become severe.
Benefits of Telehealth
Telehealth has made connecting to counselors even easier. Research shows that digital healthcare can even help improve a person’s well-being. Just a few years ago in person counseling was the norm. Today, thousands of counselors and therapist are available online providing access to quality counseling services without the need for physical travel. By taking advantage of EAP benefits combined with the ease and flexibility of telehealth, you’ll be investing in your health and overall satisfaction.