{"id":28200,"date":"2015-05-17T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2015-05-17T16:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=28200"},"modified":"2018-02-01T10:01:08","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T18:01:08","slug":"3-key-components-to-building-your-healthy-self-care-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/3-key-components-to-building-a-healthy-self-care-routine-0517157","title":{"rendered":"3 Key Components to Building Your Healthy Self-Care Routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sunset\"Establishing a good self-care<\/a> routine can sort of be compared to putting on an oxygen mask when an airplane cabin loses pressure. \u201cPut your own mask on first before assisting others,\u201d the flight attendant warns us during the safety brief before departure. While it may seem selfish and counterintuitive for some to help themselves before assisting others in an emergency, there is a simple truth contained in the order to don your own mask first:<\/p>\n

You cannot help others to the best of your ability if you are stuck fighting for oxygen.<\/p>\n

The same can be said of self-care. If you are not your best self<\/a>, how can you provide the best support to those around you? It is important not only to monitor your own well-being, but also to make sure it is well maintained before a crisis occurs so you can take care of yourself and others when your help is really needed.<\/p>\n

In order to develop your own self-care routine, evaluate these three essential components of self-care in your own life:<\/p>\n

Physical Self-Care <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The physical component of a good self-care routine incorporates all aspects of your life that affect you physiologically, such as diet, exercise, and the quality of your sleep.<\/p>\n

A poor diet can profoundly impact your immune system, mental health, and risk for chronic disease<\/a>. Our society\u2019s acceptance and reliance on many convenient and fast foods may further compound the problem for some by perpetuating dietary issues, poor nutrition, and amplifying the effects of stress<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"why-a-better-well-being-may-be-just-a-walk-away-thumb\"<\/a> Exercise for physical self-care doesn\u2019t have to be tough. Click to enlarge.<\/div>\n

Exercise is also an important part of self-care, especially as more people take on sedentary jobs that have them sitting behind computer screens all day. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends healthy adults get at least 75 to 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity each week. Your physical activity does not have to be running a marathon; it can be something easy like a daily 30 minute walk after work, after dinner, or during your lunch break.<\/p>\n

Finally, sleep\u2014both quality and quantity\u2014is a component of self-care that often gets overlooked, but according to a recent study in the Journal of Neuroscience<\/em>, lack of sleep may actually cause irreversible damage to brain cells. In the study, researchers examined the brains of mice that were put under similar sleep conditions as late shift workers. They were only allowed to sleep four to five hours each day and after just a few days, scientists discovered significant brain cell loss in a particular area of the brain stem responsible for alertness and staying awake. Sleep is also important for healing damage we do to our bodies each day, weight loss, and maintaining healthy stress and hormone<\/a> levels. The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep each night for adults to remain healthy. To help you get better sleep, they also recommend the following:<\/p>\n