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Statistics show that 3 out of 4 Americans believe that self-care can relieve stress and are willing to try a variety of things to achieve the state of low stress. What is your current self-care routine? Are you in a rut and looking for a mood boost? What options can you try to improve this state in the new year? Evaluating your current self-care approach and learning new strategies can help elevate your mental health as a whole. Keep reading to learn about a few simple things you can practice right away.
Change Your Look
How can a haircut lift your mood? Getting a haircut can be a transformative experience, especially when someone decides to try a new hairstyle for the first time. Hair makes a first impression and changing it can start a positive conversation about why you decided on the change. If you always get your haircut done the same way, try getting a taper fade or another fresh style next time; ask your barber or stylist to give you the trendiest, most up-to-date, "now" look, and you'll be surprised how great you feel. Then take your fresh look to the next level by getting some new clothes, shoes, and accessories!
Drink Tea
Drinking tea has many benefits for your body. The variety of flavors that are derived from the different leaves can be fitting. Are you looking for an energy boost? You can drink tea. Do you want to reduce inflammation from a hard workout? You can drink tea. How can you wind down in the evening to get ready to sleep? You can drink tea. If this is not currently a part of your routine, sampling some different types of tea and learning about their uses could be a new part of your self-care routine.
Focus on Sleep
There is no such thing as catching up on sleep. Not getting enough sleep cannot be solved in one or two nights. Getting on a consistent sleep routine requires discipline to go to bed at a specific time each night. If you have difficulty falling asleep, there are strategies you can use to combat that hurdle. A common practice is to limit screen time so that your eyes are not affected by the harsh light from phone and computer screens. Drinking a warm, calming tea and relaxing in the hour leading up to your planned bedtime can help as well. Getting the recommended amount of sleep (as a minimum) should be the goal moving forward. A lack of sleep can lead to weight gain, stress, and heart issues among other health problems.
Take a Shower
A routine activity like a shower can help lower anxiety and result in increased productivity. The concept of having a consistent morning routine helps to set up the rest of the day for success. If you don't currently have a morning routine, this is a good place to start. A few minutes in a relaxing hot shower or an alternating hot and cold shower can be the time that you need to fully wake up and jump start the productive tasks you have on your to-do list.
Walk
Exercise, especially walks, have long been shown to improve your mood in many ways. While it may not always be ideal weather to go for a walk, you can get creative. Malls are open for walkers, you can climb the stairs in your apartment building, or you can even pace your home. Anything to get steps in will help you feel better than if you stayed on the couch for the entire day. Setting a step goal is one way to motivate yourself to take part in this self-care activity.
Hydrate
Hydration is essential to many functions of the body, yet many people are dehydrated on a daily basis. Starting the day by drinking water as soon as you get out of bed can help combat this. Think about it, you slept for the last 6-10 hours and have consumed no water in that time. Your body will have to catch up in order to run properly as you start your day. If you struggle to drink enough water because of the lack of taste, you can try mixing different flavoring in. There are also other low or zero calorie drink options that can help you hydrate without filling your body with sugar.
Start Now
Now that you have an idea of some self-care routines to boost your mood. None of these options have a high cost, they just require a change in priority or routine. Visit our website for more helpful articles like this one.
