Add These Three Habits To Your Self-Care Routine Today

Written By Jason Lewis / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Studies have confirmed that having a consistent self-care routine is crucial for your mental health. Practicing healthy habits such as journaling, exercising, going to therapy, spending quality time with friends, and meditating can do wonders for your mind and body. In fact, some of the most basic (and overlooked) habits that you can adopt often have the most profound effect.

Here are three habits experts want you to start practicing right away.

Set boundaries for your self-care routine

Do you often find it challenging to say “no,” communicate your needs, and voice your concerns when you feel uncomfortable? If so, you are definitely not alone. Whether it’s with friends, coworkers, or family members, setting boundaries is often a challenge. The desire to gain acceptance, avoid confrontation, or preserve someone’s feelings is usually stronger than our desire to look after our own well-being.

While it is important to treat others with kindness and compassion, you must also show this same love to yourself. Having healthy boundaries in place is crucial for your mental health and for the health of your relationships.

To add this habit to your self-care routine, identify several areas in your life that are causing you stress. Then, begin establishing boundaries to ease the stress, which could include not answering work emails after a certain hour, not allowing your family to show up at your home unannounced, and so on.

Take care of your oral health for your self-care routine

According to a 2018 survey from the American Dental Association, 42 percent of Americans visit the dentist less frequently than once per year. Additionally, a staggering 31.9 percent of adults say that they do not floss their teeth.

When it comes to self-care, many individuals forget to include dental health as part of their wellness plan. Even though it can be easy to forget, proper dental hygiene and care are crucial for both your physical and mental health. Anxiety and stress can occur when one’s self-confidence is affected by various oral conditions, including bad breath, crooked teeth, and overbites. Some of these oral conditions can even become a physical health issue.

For example, if you have a mild or moderate overbite, it is usually considered a cosmetic issue and can be corrected through an at-home treatment option. However, a severe overbite can cause pain in your jaw, difficulty speaking, and significant discomfort. As a result, severe cases may require corrective surgery upon review of your options with an orthodontist.

As part of your self-care routine, professionals recommend addressing all oral health concerns as quickly as you can. If possible, visit the dentist every six months for checkups and brush and floss your teeth multiple times per day. A few extra minutes of care can do wonders for your oral health.

Get plenty of sleep for your self-care routine

Finally, prioritizing sleep within your self-care routine is one of the most important things you can do. Experts from Harvard Medical School state that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should get seven to nine hours of sleep nightly. Although hitting this target can be challenging for a variety of reasons, sufficient sleep can do wonders for your mental health.

In fact, researchers have uncovered a strong relationship between poor sleep quality and conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and bipolar disorder. They’ve also found that people who sleep the recommended number of hours each night have improved emotional regulation. To get more sleep each night, eliminate time-wasting activities (such as scrolling through social media), practice proper sleep hygiene, and start utilizing time management strategies during your day.

Self-care can take on many forms and ultimately depends on what works best for you. However, in addition to doing the things that bring you the most peace and relaxation, be sure to adopt scientifically-based practices (like the ones listed above) for maximum results.

Looking for a 100% all-natural liquid tooth oil and mouth rinse? Check out OraMD Original Strength and OraMD Extra Strength. Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral care, skincare, body care and foot care. If you are looking for more health resources check out the Trusted Health Resources list. 

Written By:

Jason Lewis is a personal trainer who specializes in helping senior citizens stay fit and healthy. He is also the primary caretaker of his mom after her surgery. He writes for Strong Well and enjoys creating fitness programs that cater to the needs of people over 65.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.

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