By Shanell Varner
You’re the STRONG daughter, sister, friend, right? The one who always neglects her
own needs to take care of everyone else. A true SHERO! You love hard. But you neglect to take care of the most important person…YOU.
We spend so much time, energy and effort caring for our partners, children, pets, friends, family members, employers and employees. Add to that the numerous volunteer activities, errands, housework, family functions, meetings, etc.—and there isn’t much time left for caring for ourselves. As women, we need to balance the stress and activity of daily life with activities that bring a sense of peace and well being to our minds and bodies. Research has shown that women who neglect their own needs and forget to nurture themselves often become unhappy, have low self-esteem and feel resentment. Does this sound like you? Self-care means treating yourself as a worthy individual and showing that you are valuable, competent and deserving.
Self-care is simply giving the same love and attention to ourselves that we would give to others. Think about it; on an airplane, the flight attendant gives very specific instructions regarding what to do if you experience decompression inflight. “Attention passengers: In the event of a decompression, an oxygen mask will automatically appear in front of you. If you are traveling with a child or someone who requires assistance, secure your mask on first, and then assist the other person.” As we all know, the first rule of thumb is to put on your own oxygen mask before you assist anyone else. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Only when we first help ourselves can we effectively help others. It is also one of the easiest things to forget. But you benefit greatly from self-care and so do others in your life. Self-preservation aka self-care is one of the best and most important gifts that we can give to ourselves. Do yourself a favor and put your mask on first!
Looking for a way to practice self-care?
Well, travel is one of the many things that you can do for yourself to improve your quality of life.
Did you know that men were more likely than women to use all their PTO (personal time off) in 2016? Last year, there were 658 million unused vacation days in the U.S. according to a study by Project Time Off, young women are the most unlikely to use their vacation days. Let’s face it, the women of our generation are getting burned out, faster than ever.
Traveling as a form of self-care is a way to refocus your mind, re-discover yourself, and have a fresh new experience. And the best part about travel… when done correctly, it’s inexpensive (super cheaper than therapy), health-inducing, easy and fun. So why wouldn’t you incorporate travel into your self-care regiment? Don’t just take my word for it. Travel has been proven to improve your physical and emotional health. A study from the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin found that women who vacation at least twice a year are less likely to suffer from depression and chronic stress than women who vacation less than once every two years. It’s ok to escape and take care of you, so that you can continue to take care of everyone else. When we choose ourselves and prioritize our whole health, we realize feeling good has a snowball effect. When you feel good, you help others around you feel just as good, if not better.
So take the trip, and watch everyone around you benefit. Spread that good ole’ love.
There are very clear scientifically-backed health benefits of traveling the world. Mentally, physically and emotionally, you can gain so much from just packing your bags and exploring places you’ve never been. Don’t know where you will go? Thousands of places across the world are worth visiting. Moonglade Travel can help you find the ideal destination sure to help you relax, rejuvenate and refuel. Don’t forget that self-care is essential, not optional.
We’d love to hear from you! Where are some of your favorite travel escapes that help you, relax and rejuvenate?