6 Signs You Need to Take a Self Care Day

After dealing with a particularly hard stage in your life, taking a self-care day has never felt so important and beneficial. It can be difficult to take a step back and see the obvious signs that are telling you to slow down. This can be especially hard when you have a hectic schedule and pressure coming from all aspects of life. These stop signs come in the form of physical, behavioural and mental being manifesting within. 

Self-care has always been practised, but with the rise of millennial influence, the true importance of self-care has been introduced to a wider audience. With billions of people able to access the internet, more tips and strategies to practice self-care have been available to all of us. 

Here are the obvious and not so obvious signs you need to look out for when deciding if it is time to take a break.

You Feel Mentally and Physically Exhausted

One of the most common symptoms that are experienced when stress occurs and with depression, is a lack of energy. Although you might be getting what you think is the perfect amount of sleep, you might find yourself feeling emotionally exhausted, all the time. Not only does this have a lasting effect on your productivity at work, but it also affects other aspects of your life. 

With your mood being affected by this constant fatigue, you are less likely to get out of your house and be active and this can have a butterfly effect on your life and the people in it. 

If you find yourself feeling mentally low and tired, you should really take some time out to relax and rest. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, eating good and get enough sleep regularly. 

Easily Irritated and Angry

Do you feel yourself feeling agitated and irritated by others or things that shouldn’t usually make you feel angry? 

When you are stressed, your body tends to be in a continuous state of fight or flight. This makes it easy to explode at someone close to you for making a minor mistake.

If you don’t take time to rest and practise self-care when you become to feel irritable, these anger outbursts could get out of hand. 

It is not fair on you and the people around you if you find that your fuse is shorter than usual. If you start to notice these angry behaviours, take a self-care day. 

Insomnia

As stress causes your body to be in fight or flight mode, due to the amygdala in your brain sensing danger, it can lead to a hyperarousal mental state. When in this state, it can be hard to turn off. And during the resting hours of your busy schedule, it is essential to be well-rested. 

Are you having trouble sleeping? If so, take some time out to practice self-care.

You Can’t Concentrate

We have all had those days where we struggle to focus on a task as simple as remembering the reason you walked from one room into another. Likely to be the mental exhaustion from the non-stop activity from morning to evening, catching up to you. This is when you know you need to take a break, whether that be a holiday, lunch break or coffee break at work. 

You’re Anxious

With anxiety being one of the most common mental illnesses worldwide, the feeling of being anxious is one that can take a toll on your everyday routine. 

Feeling breathless, touchy, tearful? When these symptoms of anxiety become worse, it can be a result of feeling overworked or run down and in order to get back to your best mental state, you need to take a break.

Physical Symptoms

If you suddenly feel under the weather, consider taking a self-care day. 

The statement that a healthy body equals a healthy mind is very accurate. 

Mental illness can often show itself in a sufferer as physical, such as stress and depression can present itself as an onset of headaches and aches. If you find that you have physical symptoms and you can’t locate a cause, it is possible that your body needs a break. 

How to Practice Self Care

It’s easy, do whatever you want to do that makes you happy. This can be watching Netflix in bed all day, going for a long walk with your dog, getting a facial at a spa or baking a cake. 

There really isn’t a guide to the best self-care tips and tricks, it is dependant on each individual. 

Ignoring the symptoms of feeling overwhelmed, stressed and exhausted will have no benefit. It will not go away with time. Take a day out to put yourself first and you will see your productivity and mood shine in the week ahead.