Care for Yourself

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Six Ways to Care For Yourself: Start Small

Make sure you take time for yourself. Here are six strategies to do just that.

Step 1: Take baby steps

Many people who've spent their lives taking care of others find it difficult to suddenly shift to thinking of themselves. Start by practicing small ways of putting your health needs first.

Try this: Write several small, everyday self-care tasks on individual sheets of paper. Perhaps it's taking 20 minutes to enjoy a nutritious breakfast or doing 10 minutes of stretching. Put these sheets of paper in a cup, then take one out each day and do it.

Step 2: Always do the basics

Build your self-care foundation on four must-do practices:

1. Take a multivitamin daily.

2. Get a flu shot annually.

3. Get regular checkups and appropriate screenings.

4. Do not ignore any symptom of ill health. Vow to at least call your doctor's office about a concern if you don't think it's worth an appointment.

Try this: Make a New Year's tradition of writing down all health screenings you need that year (yearly physical, eye appointment, dental checkup, etc.). Schedule as many of those appointments as you can right away. Keep the list in a health notebook and then check them off with the date they were completed so you'll know when you're due for a screening again.