Take Care of Yourself

In life, it is important to take care of yourself. And, in my mind, there are at least four ways in which you must take care of yourself: physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Juggling all four of these can be hard. Sometimes, it is hard to even know where to begin, on what area to focus.
 
While I don’t claim to be an expert in the area of taking care of yourself, I have come to realize that doing the following three things will help set you on the right path.
 

1. Do things that make you happy. Does being outside lift your spirits? Then get outside. Love to spend time with your family or friends? Start making plans for your next get together. Does the thought of reading a good book fill you with excitement? Head on over to the library.
   
   Whatever it is that makes you happy, start doing it. If you can’t start right now, start making plans to do it as soon as you can. The time is now.
   
   
2.  Be conscious of your physical state and your health. As Virgil famously said, “The greatest wealth is health.” This is an area I do have personal knowledge of. I have had ongoing health problems for more than five years now. I have been to numerous doctors and spent more money than I care to even think about, trying to find out what my problem is. I still don’t know what is wrong with me. It is very frustrating. So, don’t take your health for granted.
   
   Eat nutritious food. I highly recommend eating organic fruits and vegetables and good quality protein. Stay away from anything processed or anything that has chemicals in it. I feel like if it is not natural, it isn’t good for you. Drink plenty of water. Get in some exercise each week. Just be mindful of how you are treating your body.
   
   
3. Finally, and I think, most importantly, seek God. Spend time with Him each day. Pray and read your Bible. When you put your focus on God, He will start to do wonderful things in your life. I can attest to this and tell you that God brings peace and comfort. I think we could use more of that in our lives.

 
If you want to look at some other ways to start taking better care of yourself, I recommend reading this article on greatist.com. In it, Alexandra Duron highlights 25 science-backed ways to change your life by taking better care of yourself.
 
I believe that taking care of yourself, in any and every way possible, is the greatest gift you can ever give to yourself.  Because, the way I see it, if you don’t take care of yourself, how can you possibly take care of anyone or anything else?