So often we put others first – whether that’s our children, our partner, our job – that it’s easy to lose sight of ourselves. This March, we at Rengora want to remind you how to put yourself first and treat your body, mind, and spirit to a little love!

It’s hard to put ourselves first sometimes. Whether it’s work, family, or friends, we may often feel pulled in so many different directions that we don’t have time to take care of ourselves! Then, at the end of the day, we feel exhausted from stress and just overall tiredness. When this carries over into the next morning, a vicious cycle begins: too much coffee to wake up, not enough energy to exercise, which can lead to bad food choices, and then too little sleep because we feel the need to accomplish every last thing on our to-do list. It’s time to break the cycle and make time for the most important person on your list – you!! 

Better Habits, Better You

To be the best friend, partner, parent, and worker, you need to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. One of the best ways to do this is ensure you’re getting enough sleep each night. The majority of Americans do not get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep per night, which can lead to several adverse side effects. Not getting enough sleep can lead to irritability, weight gain, and even wear down your immune system, all things that can make us feel less than our best self. So put yourself first! Make time to get that necessary sleep, even if it means getting off the phone with your friend, not watching that new series on Netflix, or putting off those final emails until you’re back in the office in the morning. You will feel better, both inside and out, allowing you to be the best person you can be!

Another better habit to help you be your best self is exercise. While you may think that means slaving away on the treadmill for an hour every night or taking expensive classes at barre studios or crossfit gyms, you couldn’t be further from the truth! Just a little bit of extra activity in your day will help you start to feel better and more energized, thanks to the endorphins (happy signals to your brain!) released during physical activity. Some quick changes to help you create healthy habits include parking a little bit further away in the office (or any!) parking lot, taking a quick walk during your lunch break, enjoying some outdoor activity on the weekend (hiking is great as we approach spring!), or just doing some relaxing yoga or mobility exercises before bed to help wind down after a long day. So put yourself first and get moving a little bit today!

Eat to Love

Another important component of loving yourself is by treating your body right. We’ve often heard the saying that “you are what you eat” – and while it might seem a bit trite, there’s definitely some truth to it! What we put in our body has a definite effect on how you feel, both inside and out. Eating the right foods, those loaded with vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, and lean proteins, will ensure you have the proper amount of energy throughout the day, boost your immune system, and even benefit your mental health.

Having a balanced diet can also improve many physical aspects of your health. Having a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium improves your bone health, getting enough vitamin C will ensure your immune system is ready to fight through flu season, and upping your iron intake will get your heart and brain pumping with healthy red blood cells. You might even lose a bit of weight! Even losing a few pounds or 10% of your body weight can lead to real improvements and decrease your risk of diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease. So make sure you have a colorful plate in front of you and love yourself from the inside out!

It’s Okay to Indulge!

Learning to love yourself can be tricky – we’re often programmed to put others first, and that taking time for ourselves is “selfish”. But that’s just not true! In order to treat others with love, you need to treat yourself with love, too. So take some time for yourself and indulge a little bit!

A great way to treat yourself and also get rid of the stress and anxiety from the day is to take some time out in the bath. Giving yourself 30 minutes or so in a warm bath, especially one buzzing with the aromatherapy benefits of a Rengora bath bomb, will help you unwind, relax, and get back in touch with your own thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Taking some time for yourself will allow your thoughts to calm a bit and give you a bit of a rest – which can then help increase your energy for when your kids need you to help with their homework, or you get an important client request at the last minute. Although we are conditioned to think taking this time is selfish, it therefore really isn’t – we need time to decompress in order to be our best self!

Adapting some of these healthy habits and loving yourself a little bit more will help you be your best self, and also help you be the best friend, parent, partner, and employee that you can be!! So try out some of these tips and get loving yourself right now!