CC0 Licensed Image Courtesy of Pexels
For all your efforts in looking after yourself through personal hygiene and the occasional spa day, alternative self-care practices will help provide a more holistic approach. With a multi-pronged strategy for personal wellness, you can highlight and work on most problems.
For the most part, you don’t even need to do much. But there are some changes required. From getting outside more to trying a spot of yoga for wellness, here are some handy suggestions.
Cannabis Products and Marijuana
There are many practical ways to take care of yourself, and things like personal hygiene are vital. However, humans are more complex than that, and we sometimes need a little help. Herbal therapies are established as a tried and tested holistic method for healing and relaxation. CBD, marijuana, and cannabis products are pretty common these days. You can even get a medical marijuana card, depending on where you live, to access the benefits safely and legally.
Getting Outside and Walking in Nature
There are many supplements and therapies you can buy, and most are expensive. Then there are some that are just a waste of money. If there is one thing any doctor would recommend, it is getting outside and into nature more. Nature has been shown to have many positive effects:
- Nature has been linked to improved cardio and muscle health as well as immunity.
- You can reduce stress and even sleep better when you expose yourself to nature.
- Nature is always a source of creativity and provides a better sense of wellbeing.
Cardio health is linked to reduced chances of heart attacks and high blood pressure. Stress is also linked to these and can be fatal. Of course, a creative outlet will help keep stress low and your spirits high, and nature always has a way of providing what you need at the right time.
Alternative Self-Care through Journaling
It might sound juvenile, but writing down your experiences and how you feel can be beneficial for mental and physical health. A recent survey found that 70% of US adults have experienced some kind of traumatic event that they find hard to deal with. Journaling helps you deal with emotional baggage by externalizing your innermost feelings. It also shapes how you see your experiences and yourself, resulting in improved self-esteem and even a better immune system.
Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing has been around in some form for thousands of years. Today, we know it as meditation, and there are many different variations. Some are linked to religious practices, and others are purely medical and holistic. Deep breathing helps your body use oxygen more efficiently, resulting in numerous physical benefits, including more energy. However, the relaxing aspect of deep breathing also helps with focus, concentration, and emotional stability.
Listening to Your Favorite Music
Sometimes, we don’t know how our mood will be from one day to the next. Some people are perpetually happy, and others have anger issues. You may be the kind of person who struggles with emotions and rides the proverbial roller coaster. But no matter what you experience, music can play a decisive role in lifting your spirits or catering to your mood. Whether relaxing or working, your favorite music helps improve focus, lifts the spirits, and stabilizes your mood.
Your Diet and Alternative Self-Care
As they say, you are what you eat. In fact, this is shaping up to be more valid than ever, according to scientific studies. The food you consume directly impacts your physical and mental state. 1 in 8 people across the planet are overweight, and losing weight is the main reason people change their diet, but it’s also one of the most potent alternative self-care practices.
Cutting out harmful foods
Most people eat things they really shouldn’t. You know pizzas and burgers are bad, so why keep eating them? Fresh meals with a balance of nutrients aid weight loss, energy, and well-being.
Planning your meals
Planning meals gives you something to look forward to and helps you to learn to cook. You can also ease financial pressures when you buy what you need for meals and stick to the list.
Snacking the right way
Chocolate and chips aren’t the only snacks in town! These contain too much sugar and cause insulin spikes. Instead, buy packs of trail mix, mixed nuts or berries, and grapes to snack on.
Being Mindful and Aware of Everything
If you have ever watched Star Wars, then you might understand that mindfulness and awareness can be powerful. Of course, Star Wars is fiction, but there is some truth to the concepts of the Jedi. Mindfulness helps you feel connected to whatever it is you are doing. But it also elevates how well you focus and can even reduce the risk of harm as you go about your day. Whatever it is you are doing, focus on the sensations of the task and how it makes you feel.
Using Social Media Effectively
Whether you love it or not, social media has its uses. Of course, it can be overused or even become addictive. However, there are many benefits to using social media platforms such as Facebook. These platforms can put you in touch with groups that can help you with things like grief, motivation, and drug addiction. There are also the additional benefits of being social that come with engaging with others online, such as feeling accepted and appreciated.
Alternative Self-Care with Gratitude
Gratitude is a strange concept to most people as we go about life without really thinking about the position we are in. When you look at the state of some countries, you should be thankful each day for just having a roof over your head, clean water, or even a friend. Gratitude has many benefits, including reduced anxiety, better mood, and improved motivation; a welcome benefit since a recent worldwide survey of employees found that only 15% feel motivated!
Yoga for Health and Wellness
There are a few tactics for wellness and health that work, as well as yoga. Yoga has been around for 5,000 years and has become very popular today because of the health benefits it offers. You don’t have to be fit to begin, and you access the same benefits as a professional:
- Yoga helps you stay flexible as you age but also increases strength and balance.
- If you have issues such as back pain, yoga will help relieve some of the symptoms.
- By improving your metabolism, yoga can also help you lose weight and keep it off.
You don’t need to be flexible to begin yoga, but it will improve your joints and muscles over time. Yoga is well-known to reduce chronic pain, meaning you no longer have to use harmful medications. Even though you don’t move much, you will burn calories when practicing yoga.
Staying Socially Active
Maybe you are the type of person who enjoys solitude, and that’s fine. But everyone needs someone. Even introverted people who like to be alone are never really alone. But being truly alone when you actually don’t have anyone in your life can be extremely damaging. Loneliness and isolation cause severe mental health issues that also impact the body. So, even if it is talking to a neighbor every morning or talking online, try to stay socially active in some way.
Summary
Cannabis products such as CBD are perfect examples of alternative self-care practices that do some good. However, what you eat plays a critical role in how you feel and your physical appearance. Staying socially active is among the most powerful self-care tools you have.
Leave a Reply