Looking After Yourself (On A Budget)

Looking after yourself – it can be extremely hard to find a balance between work and family, yet alone finding time to look after yourself – both physically and mentally.

There are a number of things that you can do, to help ensure that you are looking after yourself, so that you can be at your best at all times.

Hydrate

Being even the tiniest bit dehydrated can have a negative impact on our mood.

Ensuring we drink enough water is one of the simplest ways we can look after ourselves.

Normal tap water is fine.

If you’re not fussed about water, herbal teas (non-caffeinated) are also a good option.

Eat Healthy

There are many benefits of healthy eating, and contrary to popular belief, eating well doesn’t have to be expensive.

Yes, the superfood movement highlights what is good for us, but don’t forget about your apples, baked beans and tinned fish!

Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.

However, as depression often comes hand-in-hand with sleep problems.

You can improve your chances of getting a good night’s kip by limiting caffeine after 2pm and implementing a ‘bedtime routine’ – a series of calming activities you do every night to tell your body and your brain it’s time for bed.

Try to limit screen time in the evenings, as the light given off by your devices can be disruptive.

Exercise

Although it’s often the last thing we feel like doing – especially when we’re feeling down.

Exercise has innumerable health benefits, and even a short burst of movement triggers endorphins and gives us that feel good glow.

You don’t need an expensive gym membership to exercise either.

You can dance in your lounge room to your favourite tunes, follow along with free fitness videos on YouTube or FaceBook, or you can simply pop some runners on and head out for a walk or run.

Stand In The Sun

We love lazy days on the lounge (do they even exist when you have kids?), but we also know how important it is to get outside.

Sunlight and fresh air are instant mood-boosters – and are available to us all, completely free.

Research suggests that exposure to natural surroundings is beneficial to physical and psychological health, so go for a walk or take the kids to the park – you will be better for it.

Declutter

There is a bit of a trend for decluttering at the moment, and with good reason.

The environment in which we live can have a real impact on our mood.

If our surroundings stress us out, take up headspace, or make day-to-day living hard, we can definitely benefit from clearing up.

(And if we sell any of the stuff that we declutter, our bank account can benefit too!).

You can also declutter digitally: think unwanted software that slows down your computer, unread emails or even FaceBook friends.

STOP…and Be Still

Many of us have high expectations of ourselves, and feel like we should always be productive: always giving, always doing.

Continually putting stress on ourselves in this way is a sure fire road to bigger issues.

As hard as it might feel sometimes, one of the best things you can do for yourself is STOP.

Really.

Allow yourself to just be.

Run yourself a huge bubble bath, lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling, watch some trash TV.

Letting yourself rest is a fantastic way to tune out and reset yourself.

Remember, you aren’t any good to anyone else if you aren’t looking after yourself AND being the best version of yourself.