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In today’s busy world with demanding jobs, family obligations, and other pressing concerns it can be difficult to find time to take care of yourself. This neglect of self can have serious health consequences both physically and emotionally.
Both men and women can be guilty of neglecting of themselves in order to take care of other things but women are especially vulnerable to self-neglect. This can often leave a person feeling depressed and isolated without even knowing why.
How to Motivate Yourself to Take Better Care of Yourself
However, with some motivation, you can move on to take better care of yourself which in turn leads to taking better care of everyone else in your life. Here is what you need to know about how to motivate yourself to take better care of yourself:
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Determine Your Motivation for Change
The first step is to figure out why you need to change this pattern of behavior. Are you always tired? Are the relationships in your life suffering? Are you having a hard time taking care of responsibilities at work and at home? Once you identify the reason that you need to change it will serve as your motivation on your journey of self-care and self-improvement.
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Determine the Plan
Once you have identified why you need to make some changes in how you take care of yourself then it is time to figure out how. Having a well established (and written down), a plan will help you to focus on what you need to do. Keep in mind that vague guesses and wishes will not accomplish what you need. You need to clearly and concisely determine how you can better take care of yourself.
Do you need to schedule time for exercise? Does your diet need an overhaul? Do you need regularly scheduled alone time? How long has it been since you have taken a vacation? How long has it been since you have had a checkup with your doctor? Figuring out exactly what you need will help you put a plan in place in order to get it.
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Determine Your Goals
The next step on your journey to better self-care is to set some goals. You need to take your plan and translate into goals that will help you progress in taking care of yourself. Keep in mind that you need to make sure that your goals are achievable. For example-If you haven’t worked out for a while then 2 hours in the gym every day probably isn’t realistic.
Set your goals small and reachable and then when you reach a benchmark be sure to reward yourself. You may feel that this is overindulgent (since you are doing this to take better care of yourself anyway) but giving yourself rewards is not only good for you but will help to keep you on track with your goals.
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Determine Who Will Support You
Even when you are taking care of yourself you may need support. Enlist family and friends in your self-care program. Help them to see that you need to take care of yourself in order to be better with them. You may just be surprised at how their support can be a huge motivating factor.
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Determine What You Want Out of This
It can be difficult to focus on a program of self-care when it seems like there are so many other pressing demands. This makes visualizing your end goal even more important. You need to keep in mind why you are making these changes so you don’t give up and abandon your self-care plan when it gets difficult or overwhelming. It can be a powerful motivational tool to visualize yourself as a better spouse, parent, or even employee.
This can help you to stick with the plan and the goals that you have designed to take better care of yourself.