What little things do you do to look after yourself?

[NoUpcomingDramas]

I really need to look after myself more. I am mid 40s, feel tired and headachy all the time. What little things do you do, at any age, just to prioritise your health and mental wellbeing?

This!! It’s suffering either way isn’t it.

I manage a couple of weeks at most and feel pure and all, but kind of empty and inevitably slip back into old habits.

I prioritise sleep. I work full time 12.5 hour days and nights. I’m a single parent and currently doing a degree too. I am always in bed by 9pm and have naps when I can. On a day off I have been known to just chill all day if my day allows and it does me the world of good.

My son and I have a pony so we spend time out in the fresh air a lot. We also paddle board, cycle and garden. Being outside is very important for my mental health too.

Loads of things

Sleep lots
Tons of water
Mega food diet
Exercise outside, daily
Great dentist

Swapped to decaff coffee. Good quality stuff still tastes nice but with none of the crappy effects.

Hiking, woodland walks, plenty of fresh air
Weekly meal planning; eat healthy during the week and eat indulgent food on the weekends, limiting alcohol to social occasions; drinking more water
Haircuts, manicure, pedicure and wax, facials, nighttime and daytime skin regime, face masks
Massages, acupuncture for perimenopausal symptoms, yearly Mother's day spa break weekend getaway
Routine medical and dentist appointments, vitamins and supplements
Outsource things whenever possible: cleaner, gardener, online grocery delivery, handyman to do DIY
Keep house tidy and clean
Brunches, dinners or nights out with friends
Keep friends and family around that are positive and nice.
Not waiting for special occasions to dress up or use special items in the house.
Carving time to yourself to do what you want like a hobby, or visit a museum or art gallery.
Early bedtime

Yes to not waiting for special occasions!

I do lots of bigger things to look after myself these days like a diet and exercise overhaul. But a little thing I do is to just rest and chill if that's what I feel like doing and not feeling guilty about it!

Seeing friends when it suits me to but not saying yes to everything

Decent coffee and wine

Supplements (flaxseed oil and vitamins/minerals)

Exercise and walking

Cooking

Reading or listening to audio books

Early to bed

Try to remember to take my vitamins/supplements
Mostly eat home cooked food
Netball once a week for social and exercise
Peloton for spin and weights
Candles and perfumes make me happy so I like my house to smell nice
Realise that some days I am too tired to exercise and give myself grace to just sleep

I'm fat but decent cardio health
Mostly I aim to workout for health and then food after that

So if I want a cake I'll eat it but I also try to eat a lot of veg, fruit, salad. Plus I eat mostly home cooked food
Find if i restrict myself I just end up binging but the more exercise I do, the better I want to eat

https://www.boots.com/centrum-advance-multivitamins-180-tablets-10131124?queueittoken=e_plannedmaint2024uk~q_5746b1e0-78e7-473c-8506-bff1e58864d0~ts_1717878464~ce_true~rt_safetynet~h_e8cc8e2132f6aecd49938b5da0c86edf6f3ff5b8141cf0411a72afdbcbdec9a8

Swim 3 mornings a week before work.
Yoga class once a week.

Recent additions are a monthly massage and a monthly facial, which are quite spendy but a recent promotion has made work more stressful so I'm classing it as an investment.

I know more exercise and eating better would be good for me but getting up earlier just isn't a thing for me! Instead changes I have managed to make are:
Going for a walk at lunchtime rather than sitting at my desk eating (better for me in so many ways)
Using some of my AL when the boys are at school to either have a day to myself or a day just me and DH
Getting a cleaner
Buying a big water bottle for work so it's easy to drink more water rather than living on a caffeine drip!

@buffyslayer I'm the same, restrictions lead to a sense of deprivation which leads to binge. And definite yes to exercise reducing appetite. I cook from scratch every day of the week except Sat so I am probably OK nutritionally but I eat stupid sugary snacks too to 'keep me going'. It's 100% stress and comfort eating for me. Scheduling exercise seems to stress me so I need to find something that I enjoy that I look forward to instead of dreading.

Lots of good tips here though!

Prozac 20mg per day
limit caffeine to one coffee a day
lots of water
keep phone out of bedroom at night
limit sugar Monday to Friday
walk outside as soon as possible after waking

@Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong one thing that helps me with snacks is adding protein

So I'll have m&ms but I add them to Greek yoghurt with some sugar free syrup and mix it all up, I do that with biscuits too and crush them
Or an apple with peanut butter or a protein shake

Take iron capsules, Vit D spray, B-complex vitamins every day.

Drink water

Eat a minimum of 5 veg and fruit a day, usually 7 or 8, and make sure there's loads of variety so over 30 different types through the week.

5-10 mins exercise bursts through the day - 10 mins morning yoga, 10 mins weights or kettle bells

Journalling. Every day. Early in the morning with a cup of coffee. I love it. It clears the chatter from my brain and helps me organise the day. I think doing a bit of mental health self care helps with physical well being too.

Feed wild birds and animals and just watch them - I get so much pleasure from this. Or sit on the garden swing with morning coffee and watch the garden come to life.

Take a good book and a big mug of tea into the bathroom, run a deep bath with loads of oil or bubbles in an uplifting scent like rose or geranium and have a soak and a read.

Play lots of my favourite music all the time

Always have something in the diary to look forward to quite soon - at least once a week - lunch with friends or seeing a show or going to a gig or a planned long hike. Something that makes you wake up that morning thinking, 'Yay!'

I get my eyebrows and hair done every month without fail

Are you me OP.
Here to read these suggestions. Flopped on sofa right now

Daily walk or exercise
Healthy food (and treats)
A decent amount of protein
No alcohol or fizzy drinks
Time with family and friends
Cod liver oil capsules, magnesium, vit b complex

Exercise- aim for between 15k-20k a day.
Nice shower gel- my indulgence in the morning after going for a run.
Socialising and meeting friends- as PP mentioned, I'm not just a mum.

Some lovely ideas here that I will be taking advice from as I definitely don't look after myself enough at the moment. Things I've done before that have made me feel better about myself are:

Yoga
Cleaning and decluttering my house
Getting hair and nails done
Long walks in nature
Cutting down on booze
Sadly I've never particularly felt the benefit of exercise as in cardio or weights but maybe that's cos I never stick at it long enough.

I've started to incorporate little rest periods, I use dead time, like if I've 7 minutes until i need to go collect a child, or my favourite one is when I'm waiting for the oven to heat. I lie on my bed starfish like and just breathe and try to not let my thoughts wander. It could be as short as two or three minutes with a timer or on a lazy day it becomes a nap. It recharges the batteries.

Follow
Wing for interest. I currently do home workouts and occasionally stick on some false nails to feel better about myself

I like to nap with my heated electric blanket

Nails done 3 wkly

Massage and facial every few months

Like nice smelling home, reed diffuser, wax melts, Yankee candles

Keep my home free of clutter, this helps keep my mind at peace too

Little exercise daily just a walk for me

Early nights 9pm