It’s Valentine’s Day! This day is often for showering our loved ones with thoughtful gifts to show how thankful we are for them, but how often do you think about doing the same for yourself?
Happy Valentine’s Day! This holiday has come to be synonymous with showing love – to our significant other, friends and even family members. We often get caught up in displaying our love for others, not just on Valentine’s Day but throughout the year, and we tend to forget that we should be showing ourselves the same type of appreciation. Here are just a few ways you can make loving yourself easier this year.
Make your mental health a priority by adding these easy and simple things to your daily routine:
- Ditch the gadgets. and take a little downtime before bed. Instead, do something therapeutic, like reading, coloring, meditating, stretching, journaling or taking a bath.
- Take up a hobby If you don’t already have one, try to find something you like to do that helps you relax and rejuvenate and try to do it as often as you can. Your hobby can be as simple as taking a walk, knitting or reading, it doesn’t always have to be something as major as fishing, boating, camping, etc.
- Find someone you can talk to. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a licensed therapist (although we’re not saying you shouldn’t talk to a therapist), it can be someone like a coworker, a friend or gym partner.
- Schedule time for social interaction. Spending time with friends or just face-to-face socializing helps you to feel better. Let’s not forget that social health is a part of whole health, so don’t neglect it.
- Meditate regularly and get enough sleep. This one is good for both your mental and physical health. Meditation might sound like an overused piece of advice but that’s because it really is effective. Meditation helps decrease stress by focusing on relaxation of the body and mind. Similarly, our bodies need enough sleep to recover and heal. Aiming for at least 6-7 hours of sleep each night could completely revitalize the way you feel each day, just try it and see!
We’re a few weeks into the new year, and you may have made a resolution to prioritize your health more this year. If you’re still having issues figuring out how, or you’ve fallen off the proverbial horse, then here are a few things you can try to incorporate into your lifestyle:
- Add more whole foods to your diet instead of processed foods. Wherever possible, replace packaged snacks and processed foods with whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Drink lots of water. Our bodies are over 75% water and this water gets quickly used up for regular bodily functions such as breathing, digestion and temperature regulation. Therefore, it is important to consume enough water to ensure our body has the water it needs to function properly.
- Exercise regularly. We can’t stress this enough, but our bodies need at least 30 minutes of physical activity to combat disease and excessive levels of fat. The common misconception is that ‘exercise’ refers to hitting the gym or going for a run, but really exercise refers to any type of activity. Exercise can mean playing with your kids in the park for an hour, or taking a walk around the neighborhood, dancing for a half hour or even playing a motion-activated video game that mimics a real sport (like Tennis or bowling). Exercise is certainly one thing you can get creative with and you definitely should!
At Walker’s Drug Store, we are big proponents of a healthy lifestyle. We’ll try our best to answer your questions and give you the advice you need to accomplish this. At our pharmacy, we do more than just fill prescriptions. We sell OTC and natural vitamins and herbal supplements. We also have a Wellness Center and offer Home Healthcare. If you have questions, our on-site pharmacists and friendly staff will be more than happy to help.
If you’re ready to start showing yourself some love, we’re here and more than happy to help. If this article gave you some information to start but you’d like to learn more about how to show yourself love through proper self-care, then visit our store Mon-Fri between 9:00 am – 6:00 pm or on Saturdays between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm.
You can also feel free to call us at (704) 321-0027. May this Valentine’s Day be the start of a life-changing relationship for you – a relationship between you and your health.