Beyond Self-Care: Creating a Sustainable Lifestyle of Well-Being

Self-care is a popular buzzword, and for good reason. Finally, we are learning the virtue of “anew” — taking time out for ourselves to relax and de-stress. But when it comes to true well-being, occasional bubble baths or spa days only go so far. It’s about building a lifestyle that will uphold our physical, mental, and emotional well-being for the long haul, right?

Why the Quick Fixes Never Really Fix a Thing

A lot of “self-care” tends to boil down to short-term platitudes — a massage, a frilly cup of coffee or a night of binge-watching. Although these can ease immediate stress, the measures do not build on the deeper causes of stress and burnout. But for deeper issues, these are band-aiding the wound and not dealing with the cause. We can go deeper and create habits that have our back long term.

Four Pillars of Sustainable Well-Being

There are several key pillars of a sustainable lifestyle of well-being:

• Nourishment: It is not only about having a healthy diet. It’s about how we create relationship with food, to listen to our bodies’ messages, making choices that lead us to lasting energy, health and wellbeing.”

• Movement: Moving your body is inherently important, but it doesn’t need to be a burden. Choose something you love doing, be it dancing, hiking, yoga or a vigorous walk. Movement should be something you enjoy, not fear.

• Read more: Good sleep is (non-negotiable) quality sleep. It’s when we restore and replenish our bodies and minds. Stick to a regular sleep schedule, develop a relaxing bedtime routine, and make your sleeping space comfortable.

• Connection: We, humans, are the social creatures. Developing strong connections with loved ones, friends and neighbors is important for emotional health.

• Mindfulness: The practice of being aware of our thoughts and feelings in the moment — can calm us, help us focus and improve our emotional regulation.

• Sense of Purpose: Having a sense of purpose and meaning is vital to happiness. It could be that you chase your passions, volunteer, or give back to the world in part of something bigger than you.

• Healthy Coping Mechanisms: Life will always happen and having healthy outlets for stress, e.g., exercise, hobbies, or being in nature, is also important. We want to steer clear from unhealthy coping strategies such as heavy drinking or indulging in activities that can offer a momentary distraction, but can cause harm in the long run. Even if sports betting is a source of fun, this needs to be done responsibly and in moderation.

Creating a Sustainable Lifestyle

Building a lifestyle of well-being that is sustainable is a journey, not a destination.

 It’s about slow, realistic changes that you can stick with for the long haul.

• Tread Lightly: Don’t attempt to reform your entire existence in one farting inhalation. Pick one or two areas to work with and expand from there.

• Focus: You need to know what’s essential to you and invest your time and energy there.

• Be CONSISTENT: You may not see the results of my small efforts, but frequent effort can lead to more sustainable results than the occasional burst of activity.

• Be Kind to Yourself: There are going to be setbacks. Don’t be hard on yourself; just reset.”

• Reach Out for Help: Reach out to your family, friends or professionals to help you with your needs.

Wrapping Up

Finally to leave the learn-to-live-your-best-life-through-internet-quotes delusion behind, we must make a lifestyle redesign centered around holistic wellness: body, mind, spirit. If we build our lives around the pillars of nourishment, movement, rest, connection, mindfulness, purpose, and healthy coping mechanisms, we develop systems that support us through good times and bad.