The life of a New Yorker can be very busy. Many people in this city are ambitious. They want to achieve success in their careers, relationships, and personal lives, even if that means pursuing it relentlessly.
This can have a profound impact on your overall mindset. When your goals involve pleasing as many people as you can (possibly including your employer, partner, friends, family, etc.), self care may become a minor priority.
Don’t worry if you feel this way. It’s an understandable attitude to have in a busy city. That said, in the long run, neglecting your own needs isn’t good for everyone.
Do you feel uncomfortable practicing self care? Do you think taking a break is unproductive? If so, the following points will illustrate why practicing self care is actually key to achieving success in all areas of life.
Self Care Boosts Performance in the Long Run
If you’re reading this, odds are good you have various weekly responsibilities. Again, they may be a job, caring for a family, maintaining a romantic relationship, and anything else that involves work.
Busy people who value staying on top of such responsibilities often overlook self care in order to attend to everyone else’s needs. They might not get enough sleep, not exercise, rarely socialize, and eat poorly, all in an effort to save time and get more done in daily life.
This strategy often seems to work in the short run. After all, if you skip a few hours of sleep to get ahead on a project, it makes sense that you would feel productive.
The problem is, regular lack of sleep eventually harms your overall productivity. People who are sleep-deprived also tend to make more errors when completing relatively basic tasks.
Getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and generally addressing your own wellness are all key to staying as productive as possible. No matter what your responsibilities are, you’ll stay on top of them much more consistently and reliably if you make time for self care.
Self Care May Improve Relationships
Once more, so many busy New Yorkers often neglect self care because they are too preoccupied with caring for others.
This might seem admirable. Putting the needs of others before your own is selfless, right?
Sure, but it can also have negative long-term effects on your relationships with everyone in your life. If you’re so focused on pleasing other people that you have no time for self care, you may eventually become bitter. You’ll naturally be angry that your mental and emotional health must suffer because you put other people’s needs first. It’s easy to see how this can negatively impact the way you treat them.
This is another major reason practicing self care benefits all the people you need to take care of. Quite simply, when you step away from your constant responsibilities every now and then, you won’t feel as frustrated with the demands others place on you.
Self Care Guards Against the Consequences of Stress
Prolonged stress is not good for your mind or body. When you’re stressed out for long periods of time, you may develop a wide range of conditions, such as depression, heart disease, anxiety, sexual dysfunction, and numerous other potential issues.
Struggling with these types of conditions will naturally prevent you from performing to the best of your abilities in daily life. Remember, it doesn’t matter what your specific responsibilities and goals may be. Whether you’re trying to complete a major project for work, raise children, be a loving partner, or anything else, you can’t genuinely fulfill your responsibilities if health problems get in the way.
This yet again illustrates the value of practicing self care. By taking steps now to reduce stress in your life, you’re guarding against health consequences that would affect not only you, but all the people who depend on you.
You also need to consider that professional help may be necessary. Your self care might require coordinating with a specialist. Sometimes overcoming problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression takes work. If you believe treatment is right for your needs, schedule a consultation with Therapy24x7 today.
Either way, making sure you do what you can to stay happy and healthy isn’t selfish. It’s actually key to being the best version of yourself!