Now that it’s the start of a new year, we are on the precipice of a new beginning. And we are more than eager for it. 2020 was, simply, a very challenging year for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic cost people their health, jobs, and, most of all, lives. We went through various struggles. And, worst of all, we had to face them all at the same time.
But, much like any hardships, there’s a lesson. But the most important one is the value of self-care. We realized how important it is to look after ourselves. This is because we also realized how much our physical and mental health are vulnerable to the threats of the pandemic and the stress that it caused.
This is why 2021 is our greatest encouragement to improve our self-care. Here are three ways we can do so:
Looking Good and Feeling Good
The pandemic and the stay-at-home order caused us to let go of a lot of things. We let go of our routine of going to the office and spending most of our days with our co-workers. We let go of our habit of going out with friends for dinner and drinks. But because we’re not going out as much anymore, we also abandoned one important thing: our appearance.
Because we’re just staying at home, it’s become socially acceptable to spend much of our time in ratty t-shirts and sweatpants. We don’t wear makeup anymore. Many of us even stopped blowdrying our hair to achieve bouncy waves.
So this 2021, it’s time to bring back our dedication to looking good even if we’re not going out of the house. We just have to remind ourselves that we’re getting all dolled up for ourselves. It’s so that we could feel good. So let’s get a blowout for our hair. Let’s buy the clothes that we want to wear. Let’s finally get our braces to have perfectly lined teeth. If we feel conscious about it, there’s always Invisalign as an alternative to the traditional metal dental braces.
Regular Checkups with the Doctor
Before the pandemic, we find it such a hassle to go to the doctor, especially if it’s only for routine checkups. We didn’t like going all the way to the hospital. We didn’t like staying in line for a few hours if it’s at the free clinic.
But then the pandemic happened. We’re confronted by the fact that there’s a very real threat to our health. So now, even if we just get a cold, we already feel nervous. Nevermind that it’s wintertime and colds are fairly common. We immediately think that we might have contracted the coronavirus. So the best way to ensure that we’re staying healthy is by having regular checkups with the doctor.
The same goes for our mental health. The pandemic caused high levels of stress and anxiety among people. So it would be good for us to have access to a medical professional when we feel that our mental health is struggling.
Cultivating a Healthier Lifestyle
If there’s one thing that many people did during the pandemic and the stay-at-home order, it’s stress-eating. The news reports were getting depressing and overwhelming. We couldn’t go out to see our friends and have a good time. So we turned to the little things that could bring joy, however brief it was. And, most of the time, that was food.
But now is the time to remind ourselves that we have to start eating healthy again. And that shouldn’t be a problem because we already know the basics. Eat more greens and fruits. Avoid any food that has high sugar or sodium content. But the problem is the motivation to actually start eating healthy food.
What we can do is subscribe to meal plans that would help us stay on track with our meals. We can also explore various recipes that would be fun to create but would also be good for our bodies.
2021 is also a great time for us to start having a more active lifestyle. And we can do that right at home. Let’s get the essentials such as a workout mat, pieces of activewear, and a subscription to online sessions with a trainer.
With self-care, we understand now that we need to find ways to make ourselves happy, content, and ready to face any challenges. There are many ways to achieve such things. It’s because self-care is more than just caring for our physical bodies. It’s also about caring for our minds and our relationships with other people.
