Giving Your Mind And Body A Little Tlc

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When’s the last time you reviewed your lifestyle and made changes that will actually benefit yourself? All too often, we focus our care and efforts on others and let our own needs get swept under the carpet while we focus on helping others and keeping them healthy, happy and well. But this needs to change.


This is the year that you start to take care of yourself too! Here are just a few areas of focus you should consider working into your routine that will prove beneficial for your mind and body going forwards!


It is not selfish to love yourself


Make Healthier Dietary Choices

You don’t have to go on a strict diet to be healthy. Instead, you just have to make conscious, healthy choices on a day to day basis. Small changes can make a big difference over time and it doesn’t take much to make them a habit or part of your day to day routine. Here are a few dietary considerations to try out:

Try Superfoods - superfoods aren’t an official category of foods, but they are foods that are nutritionally dense and give your body a lot of the nutrients and minerals it needs to thrive. Give a few a try. Whether that’s goji berries, kale, steel cut oats or anything else!

Give Your Gut Some TLC - it’s time to focus on your gut health. There are so many delicious foods out there that can give your gut plenty of nutrients that will help it work to the best of its potential. Kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut - the list goes on!

Balanced is Best - don’t cut out anything you really love. Instead, you should just eat everything in moderation. A treat here and there won’t hurt if the majority of your diet is healthy and balanced.

Meal Prep - find yourself running short on time and opting for convenience foods? Avoid these where possible. Convenience foods like takeaways, ready meals and drive thru food tend to be high in salt, sugar and saturated fats. They are also low in the nutrients your body actually needs. Meal prep instead to ensure you always have easily accessible healthy food.

Have a Skincare Routine

Your skin is your largest organ and it’s about time that you start taking care of it. Whether that’s finding the best toner for your face or treating cracked and chapped nipples, you should do what you can find what works for your body and what you need to do to keep things soft and supple. Let’s start with a facial skin care routine. The key to knowing which products to use lies in figuring out your skin type. There are four main categories that most people will fall into. These are normal, dry, oily or combination skin.

Normal skin - normal skin means having a balanced complexion. It is smooth, blemish free skin without many problems to tackle.

Oily skin - oily skin is the result of your body producing too much sebum. This can leave you with a greasy, oily or “wet” look and feel to your skin.

Dry skin - dry skin is when your body produces too little sebum. This results in dryness, a feeling of tightness and occasional flaking.

Combination skin - combination skin is a combination of any of the skin types above. For example, you might have an oily T-Zone and dry cheeks.

Check In On Your Mental Health

Mental health isn’t something that many of us talk about on a regular basis. In the past, it was a topic that was highly associated with a sense of stigma or taboo. However, over the course of the past few years, this has luckily changed a lot - and is continuing to change by the day. Advances in science and medicine have helped many of us to understand mental health concerns and conditions better, while more people opening up about their own experiences with mental health conditions have got more people talking about the subject.


It’s absolutely essential that you take care of your mental health - just as much as your physical health. It’s also important that you know what to do if you ever experience mental health concerns. Start out by checking in on your mental health and monitoring it. You may find that keeping a diary of your emotions, moods and experiences can help. If you are struggling, find support from some of the options below.

Consult Your Doctor

A doctor is a great person to consult about your mental health. They’ll be able to diagnose any underlying conditions that you may be experiencing and get you on track to the right form of treatment to suit you, your needs, your preferences and your lifestyle. This could entail trying medication, heading to therapy, or a combination of the two different approaches.

Be Aware of Support

There are so many other sources of support out there too! Mental health charities have websites filled with information and staff on hand to talk to you about different mental health conditions. Then, there are helplines, support groups and more. It’s important to be aware that you’re never alone and there’s always someone out there to help you!


Give Yourself Some Down Time

Many of us tend to pack our calendars and schedules with so many different things that we often feel overwhelmed, overrun, run down or even burdened. It’s absolutely essential for your overall well being that you make sure to give yourself some down time to relax in your schedule.


No matter how busy you are, this should be a priority and should be factored into your diary or calendar. Give yourself the opportunity to let your hair down, relax, do something you enjoy or simply tune out from the world for a while.


Different people find that different approaches work for them. You might find relaxation in reading a book, watching a film, running a bath to soak in, taking a walk in nature, doing some yoga or even taking a nap. Whatever takes your fancy, simply do it!

Of course, these different areas of focus are varied. But hopefully, at least one will make all the difference to you and can be incorporated into your daily routine. Your health and wellbeing should be a priority - body and mind - so make sure to dedicate time and effort into it!

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