As Nigerians, between work schedules, family commitments, and making time for some fun, life can get hectic and out of control and self-care is the last thing on our minds.
In times like this, self-care is important. Today, I’ll share some self-care practices for going through the hustle and bubble of everyday lives as a Nigerian like myself
What is self-care?
Before we get started, let’s quickly go over what self-care means. Self-care is looking after your emotional, physical, and mental needs. Self-care is putting yourself first. It is doing things that make us feel better, give us more energy, improve our health, and reduce stress.
Self-care looks different for everyone. It is also not constant; self-care changes depending on the situation(environment), how you feel(emotions), the time of day or the stage you are in life.
Self-care is not necessarily a spa day
It does not necesarliy mean spending a whole day in spa or even going to a spa at all. Self-care can be running, it can be fasting. Likewise, it doesn’t necessarily translate to massage or more food and loads of ice cream. Sometimes self care is fasting and prayer š
Sometimes self care is fasting and prayer š
Self-care is all about you
Though self care is different for everyone, one constant is that self-care is about YOU. It’s about what your body needs in the environment you find yourself, the emotions you are going through, and the period you are in your life.
The sad reality is sometimes you forget how important you are. You put our goals, ambitions, commitment and responsibilities above yourselve forgeting they all exists inĀ relative to you and what you can do.
If you are too busy for self-care, you need self-care
We do this for a while until our bodies pull us back, this time through signs like headaches, tiredness, and insomnia. These are usually ways our body try to communicate with us that it needs more attention
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Why do you need self-care?
Humans go to great length taking care of others except themselves. They spend time getting their dog food, attending the kids recital, attending to the needs of their partner while all the time forgetting they have not had a meal.
You owe it to yourself
While it is important we are there for our friends and family, it is crucial we also nuture ourselves, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally.
If we are responsible for others, like employees, children, partner, parents and so on, self-care becomes even more crucial to avoid burnout. In fact, saying yes to self-care allows us to give more to others. We can’t help others effectively if we’re not in a good place ourselves.
We are useless to others, if we're a mess ourselve.
Your future self will thank you for it
For some folks, they are not drained helping others, they are drained by their own quest for the future and glory. While this is admirable,Ā it is always important to look up and realise the future you is not going to happen without your current self being in optimal condition.
In this chaotic times, what else we got
During times like this, with inflation charging at everything, rent, food, devices and the world going through a lot of significant change, self-care is essential. We need to keep ourselve grounded, else we will be overwhelmed.
Even in good times and positive changes, like a new well paid job āself-care remains just as important.
āItās admirable and noble to care for others and place them first. But we must extend such deep investment, generosity, and compassion to ourselves as well.ā āĀ Dallas Hartwig
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My top tips for practising Self-care
In Nigeria, making time for self-care often sounds like luxury and feels unimportant. We often say we’re too busy. We have better things to worry about. But self-care doesn’t need to take your whole day. Below are quick tips you can blend into your daily routine.
Eat Healthy
Try dey eat well. Hate to break it to you but most of our foods in Nigeria is mainly carbs. Fuel your body with nutritious foods that nourish and energize you.
Eating healthy also means eating appropirate portion of food. Too much, you gon get fat, too little you will be undernourished.
Aim for a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to support your physical and mental well-being. More water melon less Eba š
Give yourself the love you expect from others
Humans often look up to other people for love, acceptance and respect while completely negleting how much they could do for themselves.
A huge part of self love is self respect, giving your self what you deserve and long to see other people do for you. When you do this, you give people in your life the permission to do thesame for themselves and for you.
The reverse is also true, if you completely neglect yourself, others would too. Read more about been gentle with yourself here
Check your levels
Our body is amazing but they are flawed.Ā Sometimes, they donāt tell us immediately something is wrong with them, at times they don’t show any signs until it is late. Therefore, It is our responsibility to ask it if everything is okay and people call that medical check ups.
You are not pretty; You are just young. Give it time.
Good time is not only vacations, new bags and shoes. Schedule medical check up is also a way to care for yourself. Check your sugar, insulin, cortisol levels. Read more here
Good time is not only vacations, new bags and shoes. Schedule medical check up is also a way to care for yourself
Regular Exercise
Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine to boost your mood, improve your sleep, and enhance your overall health. Find activities you enjoy whether it’s walking, cycling, dancing, or yoga (Yoga sounds so western but i’m going to leave it here), and make them a regular part of your life. FYI, you donāt have to be in the gym to exercise. Just get your body moving.
Setting Boundaries
Learn to say no to activities or commitments that drain your energy or causees you stress. Setting boundaries is essential for protecting your time and prioritising your own needs. If you can, delegate those tasks that drains you. We discuss this in details here
Have social media off days
It no news the negative impact dooms scrolling have on us. It create feelings of exclusion, constant comparison with peers and the pressure to conform to certain standards, low self esteem and overall well-being.
Young adults and Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of social media. It is capable of exacerbate feelings of exclusion, lead to cyberbullying, and contribute to mental health issues. The constant comparison with peers and the pressure to conform to certain standards can significantly affect a teenagerās self-esteem and overall well-being.
Quality Sleep
Pressing phone till 2am and waking up 6am to prepare for the day is probably not a consistent good night time schedule. Prioritise getting enough restful sleep each night to support your body’s natural healing and rejuvenation processes.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine and ensure your sleep environment is conducive to rest. There is a consensues that 6 – 8 hours of sleep is enough.
- Declutter your mind, body and environment.
Lets be honest, you don’t need that much stuffs. Sometimes when things get overwhelming, you donāt need more things, you need to take things off.
when you are tired, it is okay to put some things down. Declutter your mind by writing everything down, decide what to take on and let the rest go for now.
Decluttering brings clarity, confidence, and a greater sense of calm, both in your home and within yourself.
Meditate + Journal
You can meditate quietly by yourself or use a guided meditation. Many apps offer free guided meditations, so try a few to see which one you prefer.
Think of three things you’re genuinely thankful for. Jot them down in a journal or simply reflect on them. Even just thinking about what you appreciate can improve your well-being.
Have a laugh! Watch a funny YouTube video or listen to a humorous podcastāsomething that will make you laugh out loud, preferably with a hearty belly laugh. Humor is one of the greatest ways to boost our energy and nurture our spirits.
Listen to some cheerful music. Music can evoke emotions, so pick songs that you know will lift your spirits. You can read more about meditation here
Writing clarifies our thoughts. Write down your feelings and thoughts, think about and understand them. If you do not know where to start you can use journal promt like these
Journal helps identify what you have so you are grateful, but it also helps identify whats bothering you and allows you the room to face them instead of just looping in the background of your mind endlessly giving you anxierty and increasing your stress levels.
Self care is not a race
It is important not to be overwhelm by self care itself that it turns to work, so if everything or anything we talked about sounds a lot, remember you donāt have to do everything at once or do everything at all.
Self care is about you and the goal is to do what brings you peace and freedom.So if that means you can only do just one thing out of the list, then thats what you should do.
Conclusion
As busy individuals juggling work, family, and various commitments, making time for self-care could be life changing especially in times like this.
And remember, self-care isn’t just about checking off items on a listāit’s about listening to yourself and doing what feels right for you.
So, take a moment to reflect on what activities resonate with you the most. Maybe it’s taking a walk in nature, spending quality time with loved ones, or indulging in your favorite hobby.
Whatever it is, prioritize your well-being and make self-care a regular part of your routine. Your future self will thank you for it!
If you are still struggling with how to manage your time to create room for your personal self care. Check our previous post onĀ Time management for Nigerian
Till next time.
Cheers ā¤ļø
