Self-care can improve your relationships. Really, it’s true. We’ve all been there at some point in our lives. You know… the feeling of being completely tapped out to the point where you have nothing left to give to anyone else, much less yourself.
Maybe you’ve worked too many late shifts or had too many dates that didn’t end well. Maybe you’re just under too much pressure from all sides.
That sense of total depletion (some call it burnout) takes a major toll on the way you feel about yourself, and it affects your relationships with those around you, especially your partner.
The only way to avoid becoming burned out is to learn how to practice self-care. It really is essential to your personal well-being and your relationships.
Taking care of yourself means that intentionally take steps to improve your mental, emotional, and physical health… your overall wellbeing. You’re making an investment in yourself.
While self-care can mean something different to everyone, it simply comes down to taking care of you.
How Self-Care Can Actually Improve Your Relationship
One of the first things you need to acknowledge is that taking care of yourself does not mean that you are being selfish. According to Vanessa Scotto from the Yinova Center, “The moment we all decide that self-love is healthy and optimal for everyone is the moment we breed a more uplifted and whole society.”
There is so much truth in that statement, and it applies to your relationships with everyone around you, including your partner. Self-care takes constant effort and should be taken seriously.
By investing in yourself, you are cultivating positive behaviors that will extend into other parts of your life and your relationship. Taking care of yourself means that you are more understanding, more patient, and more rested.
And all of those things make you more available to your partner. Finding a good balance between loving yourself and loving your partner strengthens and unifies your relationship in a way nothing else can.
Self-Care Also Teaches You Things About Yourself
The journey into self-care can teach you many lessons. One of the most important ones is that you are worthy of being loved. First and foremost, by yourself, but also by your partner.
Once you learn this truth, you will begin to place value on your own needs. You’ll learn how to set boundaries for yourself, develop compassion for yourself, and build a positive body image.
Self-care teaches you about what’ really important to you. It teaches you how to take care of yourself so you can take care of your partner.
Once you know how to give to yourself, you can give and take from others in a healthy way. Taking care of yourself has a positive effect on the quality of your life, which also affects the quality of the experiences you share with your partner.
How to Begin Practicing Self-Care
Everyone will have a different idea of what self-care looks like, but these practices will get you pointed in the right direction if you have no idea where to start.
- Meditate: Many of us head to the gym to train our bodies, but we don’t think about training our minds. Meditating draws your mind inward, away from all the stress and demands of a hectic life. It can help you heal, relax, and most importantly, just rest. If you’ve never meditated before, many communities have classes for beginners, and guided videos are easy to find online.
- Journal: Journaling helps you gain insight into your own thoughts and feelings. Keep track of what you eat and see how it affects the way you feel. Do certain activities or people make you feel depressed or anxious? Journaling can help you identify patterns, both good and bad so that you can adjust your routine in a positive way. These adjustments can give you newfound energy to apply to other things, like your relationship with your partner.
- Exercise: You probably saw this one coming, but it really is important. One of the best ways to improve your mental and physical health is to get moving! According to Harvard Medical School, exercise can relieve depression, improve your focus, help you sleep better, boost your sex drive, and improve your wellbeing in general. They say that all it takes is 20 minutes of exercise each day to increase a woman’s libido by 169%. That’s positive proof that taking care of yourself can also improve your relationship.