Self-care, as the name implies, means taking care of yourself — your mind, body, and spirit. Illness, lack of time, and overwork can cause you to neglect self-care, and in so doing, it can lead to unhappiness. You may have a family to look after in addition to a full time job, and these things make it almost impossible to make time for self-care, but for your own happiness and that of those around you, you need to factor in time in your busy schedule for some self-care. Let’s look at the different ways that lack of self-care leads to unhappiness.
- You feel stressed and exhausted. When you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’ll often feel stressed and exhausted. This in turn can lead to burnout and a feeling of resentment. For example, it could be that you are exhausted from taking care of everyone else’s needs. Over time, if you don’t factor in self-care, you could end up resenting your loved ones. When you are constantly exhausted and stressed out, it’s impossible to maintain a positive outlook. Self-care helps to combat stress and it also boosts your energy levels.
2. Personal hygiene suffers. Neglecting your self-care can cause your personal hygiene to suffer. If you’re constantly rushing around with little time for a bath or shower, or time to visit your hairdresser, or get a manicure or pedicure, not only will your hygiene suffer you will not look your best and others may feel uncomfortable around you. The trouble is, failing to take care of yourself leads you to feel even worse. So, maintaining self-care is crucial for your mental health and personal hygiene.
3. You can gain weight. It might surprise you to know that lack of self-care can also lead to weight gain. How, you ask? Constant rushing around without having time to sit down to a decent meal can cause you to indulge in junk food, which can lead to feelings of guilt, which can lead to more bingeing for comfort. You may also turn to alcohol, which also causes weight gain, and as you gain weight, you begin to feel unhappy.
Lack of self-care can lead to a vicious cycle of poor hygiene, stress and exhaustion, and weight gain, all of which lead to unhappiness. In my next post, I will talk some more about the importance of self-care and how you can get your life into proper balance so you don’t neglect self-care.
Do you find yourself neglecting some aspects of your self-care? What steps have you taken to try to correct this? Leave a comment in the box below, If you suffer from diabetes or are taking care of someone who has diabetes, I invite you to join my Type 2 Diabetes Network group by clicking on this link.
A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes can send your life into a tailspin. It can leave you feeling alone and overwhelmed, but it doesn’t have to. Join my type 2 diabetes network group and get the help and support you need.
