When asked whether people care about themselves, the majority will answer, “Of course.” But if they are asked how they do it, most likely, they will scratch their head over it. Psychologists and sociologists speak about self-care so often, that the very concept of this matter is becoming more and more blurred. Usually, self-care means something that brings people pleasure. But in fact, the idea of caring about oneself is much broader and often implies performing not very pleasant actions. Self-care is connected with work on oneself, with adult actions and complex decisions. And sooner or later, everyone realizes that it is impossible to do without these decisions. And so, what is self-care? Why is self-care important? What are the best things to do for self-care?
Why Is Self-Care So Important for Men?
Self-care is any activity with the help of which people consciously invest energy, time, money, and strength in their mental, emotional, and physical health. Why is self-care so important?
First and foremost, self-care is needed because the only person who will always be with you throughout life is you. And refusing to take care of yourself, you become similar to a person, who is going on a long trip by car but does not even pump gas, change engine oil, and check the tire pressure. Secondly, a person who does not care about oneself has little ability to care about others. This is especially important for parents because it is they who set an example for children and form models of self-care in the consciousness of the little beings. Single women online know this quite well and always try to improve themselves.
Also, proper self-care is extremely important to maintain a good mood and reduce anxiety. Moreover, it is needed, so that people can build relationships with themselves and others successfully. In other words, taking care of oneself makes men’s life better in all its aspects.
What Types of Self-Care Practices Are There?
Most people believe that self-care implies only caring for the body and physical and moral health. But this is not so. Let's look at what types of self-care practices exist.
Health
In the bustle of everyday life, people often forget about themselves and their health. They are so immersed in solving pressing problems that they do not even wonder, “How to take care of myself properly?” However, health is one of the most important components of self-care. Healthy nutrition, regular physical activity, personal hygiene, and lack of bad habits are things that can help everyone to maintain health, slow aging, and prolong active life. Moreover, health care makes a man more attractive to women. Thus, you will be able to meet a girl now.
Time management
Time management skills are essential for all men to avoid stress and maintain productivity. Therefore, you should strike the right balance between your needs in different life spheres to be in harmony with yourself. As evidence that time management is really important, pay attention to the world-famous successful people – they all know how to manage time.
Harmony in everyday life
Achieving harmony in everyday life is an integral part of taking care of yourself. The harmony of daily life implies that everything that surrounds you brings pleasure and makes you feel better – these are work, a cozy homely atmosphere, relationships with loved ones and friends, hobbies and favorite daily activities. You should work on all of this to become truly happy.
Communication
Communication with the outside world and building social relations are among the most important conditions for the development of personality. After all, communication shapes personal choices about conduct, gives a person the opportunity to acquire certain character traits, interests, habits, and inclinations as well as to learn norms and forms of moral behavior, determine life goals, and choose means of their implementation.
Look
A saying that “a man should be a little prettier than a monkey” has long been out of favor. After all, well-groomed men cannot leave indifferent even the most capricious representatives of the fair sex. Moreover, a beautiful and neat appearance is effective not only for attracting women. Also, it is a prerequisite for good physical health.
Best Ideas of Self-Care for Men
In an age of total lack of time, general rush, and daily problems, the vast majority of people neither know nor think about how to take care of themselves properly to enjoy life. For them, self-care and the elementary joys of life fade into the background, giving way to the pursuit of financial freedom and the approval of others. So, we present to your attention the top 7 self-improvement ideas for men.
Discard all prejudices and stop living for the approval
A person is given only 60-80 yearly revolutions of the Earth around the sun. This time is pitifully small to focus on what people think about you or how they perceive you. You live only once. There will be no other chance to start all over again. So is it worth wasting your life to get the approval of others if it harms you and goes against your principles and beliefs? The question is rhetorical.
In addition, the assessment of society is greatly exaggerated. Nobody, except the closest people, really cares about you, just like you about others. If you want to engage in an occupation that does not cause delight or admiration in other people, discard all the prejudices and do what you like. Start thinking more about yourself! This is the most beneficial self-improvement ideas.
Make your body healthy, strong, and beautiful
No matter how trite it may sound, but a sound mind is a sound body. Self-care should begin with changes in your physical condition but not external processes. Therefore, follow these tips.
- Reduce alcohol consumption to a minimum.
- It is better to reduce nicotine intake to 0.
- Put your diet in order. Avoid abundant eating of sweets and fast food, try to eat a balanced diet (30% protein, 50% carbohydrate, 20% fat).
- Do exercises regularly. After 3-6 months, daily sports activities will become a habit and start to bring pleasure.
- Establish a regular sleep pattern and stick to it.
- Maintain personal hygiene.
- Visit a doctor 1-2 times a year.
Get rid of social ballast
Do not communicate with people who are unpleasant to you, who do not allow you to develop, who exert downward pressure on you. This is one of the best things to do for self-care. Do not be afraid to say no, redact unwanted people from your life, persist in your stand, and accept help when you really need it. To start thinking more about yourself, you need to think less about people who are not worth it. It is time to take care of yourself! If you stop drinking on Fridays, former hardened friends will turn into acquaintances? No problem. The evolutionary process in relationships is natural.
Work on relationships
Working on relationships means honestly and openly telling your loved ones what you need, what you want and what you don’t want. In addition, you should make every effort to support your loved ones and show them your love. Even if you are depressed and literally do not care about anything and anyone, it does not make you the center of the universe and give you the right to behave like a complete wanker. Take care of your loved ones, because these are the people who care about you.
Do not forget about financial matters
Everything is simple and clear here. Sometimes, it is very difficult to start controlling the budget, especially if you cannot pull yourself together in other matters. It even happens that it’s scary to check the state of your bank account because then, you will blame yourself for how much money you spent on useless things or dinners in a cafe. You should find a way to control your expenses. If you are sure that you have enough money for everything you need, you start feeling much more confident in yourself.
Develop smartness
Have you ever considered mental health self-care? The stagnation of mental processes makes the world dull and monotonous. In the question of how to take care of yourself, the development of thinking, logic, and memory are top-of-mind. So, add intellectual pursuits to your life. Instead of an evening spent playing an online game, read a book or play chess or a logical board game with a friend. Try to think critically, read a lot, and develop your smartness. This is one of the most useful self-care ideas for mental health.
Do not forget about the pleasures
You should be able to spend time on fun and leisure, especially when you experience excessive stress. Do something interesting and get others involved in it. There are some good ideas for you to note.
- Go on a date with your beloved or meet friends more often.
- Re-read your favorite book.
- Watch your favorite movie.
- Find a fascinating hobby.
- Listen to your favorite music.
- Get a pet.
The Main Mistakes When Trying to Improve Yourself
You may be surprised, but even in such a matter as taking care of yourself, it is possible to make mistakes. In such a case, all the attempts go to smash. So, let’s consider three main mistakes of self-care therapy.
Overdoing
As they say, “Too much of a good thing is good for nothing.” Excessive passion for taking care of yourself can result in a selfish attitude towards other people and the world around you at all. Engage in self-care, but do not overdo it. To take care of yourself in moderation, you can come up with self-care activity worksheets and control everything you do easily.
Aimlessness
Self-care is impossible without establishing goals. After all, the very concept of taking care of yourself implies doing some actions to improve yourself. Aimlessness will just result in nothing. Therefore, you should develop self-care worksheets and fulfill your purposes.
Taking too many challenges
It can be difficult to start taking care of yourself if you are not used to doing it. Moreover, self-care does not imply only pleasant actions, sometimes you should do something that you do not like to improve yourself. So, taking too many challenges can make self-care very difficult, especially at the beginning of self-improvement practices.
Final Thoughts
Self-care is a responsible and mature activity that should become an integral part of your life. Take care of your own needs and physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development. Because you undoubtedly deserve it! As the Buddha said, “You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.”