The Importance of Self-Care: Nurturing Your Mental and Emotional Well-Being

Introduction:

In our fast-paced and demanding world, it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and neglect our own well-being. However, taking care of our mental and emotional health is crucial for leading a fulfilling and balanced life. Self-care is not a luxury; it's a necessity. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of self-care and provide practical tips to help you nurture your mental and emotional well-being.

1. Understanding Self-Care:

Self-care encompasses a range of activities and practices that prioritize our physical, mental, and emotional health. It involves consciously setting aside time and energy to nurture ourselves and meet our own needs. Self-care is a proactive approach to maintaining our well-being and preventing burnout.

2. Benefits of Self-Care:

a) Improved Mental Health: Engaging in self-care activities can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It helps us recharge, relax, and replenish our mental and emotional resources.

b) Enhanced Physical Health: Self-care practices such as exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep contribute to our overall physical well-being.

c) Increased Resilience: Regular self-care boosts our resilience, enabling us to better cope with life's challenges and bounce back from setbacks.

d) Better Relationships: When we prioritize our own needs, we are better equipped to show up fully in our relationships and offer support to others.

3. Types of Self-Care:

Self-care can take various forms, and it's important to find activities that resonate with you. Here are some examples:

a) Physical self-care: Engaging in regular exercise, getting enough sleep, eating nutritious meals, and practicing good hygiene.

b) Emotional self-care: Journaling, practicing mindfulness and meditation, engaging in hobbies, and expressing emotions through creative outlets.

c) Social self-care: Spending time with loved ones, nurturing relationships, seeking social support, and setting boundaries in relationships.

d) Intellectual self-care: Engaging in stimulating activities such as reading, learning, or pursuing hobbies that challenge your mind.

e) Spiritual self-care: Connecting with nature, practicing gratitude, engaging in prayer or meditation, and exploring your personal beliefs.

4. Incorporating Self-Care Into Your Routine:

a) Start Small: Begin by incorporating small self-care activities into your daily routine, such as taking short breaks, practicing deep breathing, or listening to calming music.

b) Create Rituals: Establish rituals that promote self-care, such as a morning routine that includes mindfulness or an evening ritual for relaxation before bed.

c) Prioritize Time: Set aside dedicated time for self-care activities each day or week. Treat it as an essential appointment with yourself.

d) Practice Self-Compassion: Be gentle with yourself and let go of any guilt associated with taking care of your own needs. Remember, self-care is not selfish; it's an act of self-love.

e) Seek Support: Don't hesitate to reach out for support from friends, family, or professionals when needed. Sometimes, self-care involves seeking guidance and assistance.

Conclusion:

Prioritizing self-care is crucial for maintaining good mental and emotional well-being. By making self-care a regular practice, you invest in your overall health and happiness. Remember, self-care is not an indulgence; it's a vital component of a balanced and fulfilling life. Start small, be kind to yourself, and embrace self-care as an essential part of your journey towards well-being.

So, let's commit to nurturing our mental and emotional well-being through self-care. Start by incorporating one self-care activity into your day, and watch as it positively impacts your life. You deserve it!

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The Best Time To Do it

I do not want to believe that the soul and spirit of the present day youths have been crushed systematically by the past and present leaders...
Most youths have forgotten they have a "Mind", they have lost hope in a better tomorrow...
They have been mortified and reduced to mere zombies...
They're now like puppets whose cords are held by the puppeteer, the crafty old men in the guise of leaders..
They are hungry, angry and have lost the sense of belonging, responsibility and reasonability....

This is what I believe!
We are tired of the present ills experienced now...
We are ready to be the change we desire/deserve!
We are ready to rise up and defend what's left of our future and that of our unborn children!
We are ready to live and be free from the oppressors!
We are ready to say NO! To the peanut with which they try to buy over our lives and future!
We are ready to chart the course of our future by ourselves!!!
It is our TIME & our TURN! We can't and won't let anyone tell us otherwise!
We are majority and we have the power!!!
We CAN!! And we WILL!!
Go get your PVC today!!
#MyPVCMyPower
#GodsWill4Imo
Greater Imo Movement (GIMO)

(For the mature and free minds alone) It's a mind twister, I choose to sound cynical

What if life was darkness, and living, fear?
Last night, I stepped out of the house, into the dark. The darkness was thick, I could feel it in my skin, I felt I was embedded in it; it was just the substance of all that was. Suddenly, I was frozen in fear and chills ran from the crown of my head, through all my body parts down to my feet. At this moment, I strained my eyes to see, but all to no avail, my next step was uncertain, I feared I would trip and fall with no one to catch me. In my mind, I knew where I was going, but I feared I wouldn’t make it to the gate; I could step on a snake, or scorpion, or thorn or maybe the heap of mud somewhere in the compound. I could slip and fall, get stained or injured.

This is exactly what we get in life. We go to bed each night, first of all, scared of oversleeping, and then in the morning, we wake up with or without a plan drawn for the day. At this moment, fear kicks in again, we are scared of going late to work, scared of getting stuck in traffic, scared of missing an appointment, or deadline, scared of not hitting a target, and so, fear becomes our motivation. We fight on and on, from one stage of life to another, each day, our fears take new shapes and forms.

As kids, we had our own form of fears, though most of them were borne by our parents; the fear of not grooming the kids to a desired expectation, the fear of failing as parents. Each episode of sickness came with a renewed form of fear, each stage of development, from the time the baby crawls, to when he walks, when he starts schooling and so forth. At a point in development, when the baby has got to self realization, a huge portion of the fear is handed over to him, and he lives on, with one form of fear or the other. First, the fear of failure; in school, in a chosen career, in a relationship and so on, One day, he falls in love, and his fears are doubled. There is also fear of death, disease, poverty, dissatisfaction, lack, rejection and so forth…

Why all these fears? Maybe, because we can’t certainly predict the next step in the darkness (life) even though in our minds, we all know where we want to be, what we want to have, what we’re working towards, but yet “nothing ever promised tomorrow today”

Surprisingly, we fight life each and every day, we strain so hard, with faith, we cling to every source of light available, we shine light on every dark part. With faith, we take that bold step against all odds. It is a fight everyone must fight, because clinging to light itself is war, not meant for the feeble or faint minded. (Even though at the end, everyone is defeated by darkness and fear and silence)

Finally, should I say we all hate life (darkness) and no one enjoys living (fear)? If not, why do we embrace light? Why do we fight fear with faith? When at the end, all that is and will ever be is darkness…..

Woman beyond woman Anatomy

Woman! A beautiful creation, distinctly and wonderfully made, with special features; face like the moon, shining in the darkest moments of life, smiles when unleashed, are like the stars of the sky, sending twinkly sparks and sparkles, beautifying every moment it exposes itself to, charming eyes that dazzle and daze beholders, looking down into the soul of whoever it chooses. Elegant body specially crafted with optimum attention and expertise, with no detail overlooked, a gift to earth, and an addition to the decoration of nature. With two upper anterior hilly projections, hills everyone climbs for nourishment in infancy and in adulthood by men, in search for satisfaction. A posterior specialization, moderately enlarged in many, powerfully magnified in a few, and a very slight addition in a lot; A powerful tool of operation, to attract, seduce, incapacitate and also satisfy. And yet, the part that does the most, lies buried in between, in the center.

Every woman in her own way is decorated in her own specific combinations of the features listed above and hence, what a wonder added to life, In variations and varieties!! The attraction of all men, the hunger of all, setting them off balance when desired, making hormones work overtime, sending jitters and rebellion in certain areas of a man’s being.
Beauty they say is in the eyes of the beholder, even though I choose to say, that true beauty is in the mind of the beholder… Beauties are meant to be admired, associated with, kept around and appreciated, loved, pampered, protected, cared for, with all tenderness.

 But what beauty should we care more for? The one we see or perceive? Beyond all the external features, beneath all that meet the eye, beyond the woman anatomy, that’s where the true beauty lies. In her character, that’s where her truest beauty is found. Time counts in seconds, it proceeds to minutes and hours, and then to weeks and months, till it gets to years. Time brings everything, it also takes everything away. With itself, it brings beauty, the physical beauties of a woman, getting intense in the teens and twenties, with itself, it takes beauty, from the thirties and above, distorting the entire anatomy bit by noticeable bits, until all that is left, is the perceived beauty, the one that lies beneath. Therefore, in everyday care for the bodily beauty, as it is done most often at intervals on daily basis,  every woman should take time out, to build the character positively, because, good character makes the beautiful woman. Physical beauty may attract, but the inner beauty keeps and sustains attention. Physical beauty is just like a flower that blossoms in the morning, attracting to itself varieties of creatures; the butterflies, bees, birds, and even humans. All, coming to it to take a piece of it's beauty.. The bees take from it to make honey, the butterflies and birds, to feed, the humans, to decorate themselves or present as gift to loved ones.. Sooner than later in the day, Time brings the sun, with its intensity of heat, it does its deal on the once beautiful flower, slowly, it takes with itself the beauty of the flower, it shrinks and slowly, it loses its power to attract. In all analysis, the woman that lies beneath the woman anatomy, is the true woman...

POLIO: Also a Deadly Virus

The cry was heard with fullness of joy

The moaning and pains of the mother

In split of seconds forgotten

Behold a baby is born

The promise of the most high fulfilled

In his heart the father is laden with joy

As he fights his vocal cords to restrain

Which tirelessly wishes to unleash the shout

But his lips extend in both corners

As high up in his hands the baby is held

The mind is set up to wander

Making its journey in the future to come

As the baby fixes its gaze on the mother

While she endures the suckling in feeding

And her heart filled with happiness

Who knew the terror that lay at night?

Taking advantage of the deeds not done

The necessary thing taken for granted

Owing to ignorance or disbelief

The little thing that makes the great impact

Subtly and quietly it makes its ploys

Making its ways through the sinews

Oh! Poor little defenseless creature

Unarmed and innocent, how would you know?

But mother and father have failed in this trail

Then in a moment or two to come

As the child grows alongside

The hit of the evil slowly unfolds

Just like the thick dark clouds slowly cover the sun

Prior to a heavy down pour

The tear of the mother as she watches him limp

Struggling with all objects just to make a step

The father as well breeds sorrow in his mind

In thoughts of the misery to bear so long

What a curse from the gods they all say

But it’s never a curse at all

It is the manifestation of virus infection

The one that shrinks and paralyses

Causing great discomfort and misery

And shortening the lives of others through death

The untold misery is not in the outcome

It is in the realization of the child now grown

That his ordeal would have been prevented

By the right steps taken by the parents

Just by immunizing the child against POLIO

Please Immunize your child against Polio!!!

Ageing: 5 Lifestyle Practices That Will Keep You Younger

An old adage says "you're as young as you feel." But that doesn't make the widening disconnect between what you see in the mirror and how you "feel" any easier to accept. everyone will love to look younger and also feel younger... these practices will keep you younger, in your "looks" and "feels"

1) Exercise, exercise and exercise


In May 2014, findings from the longest-running clinical trial on the relationship between physical activity and aging were revealed, naming exercise as one of the best ways to prevent the loss of mobility that often accompanies old age. But how, exactly, does exercise keep you young? Exercise builds bone mass -- which is a good thing for anyone not wanting to break a hip or anything else due to weakness. In addition, exercise makes your heart more efficient. When you're active, your heart rate goes up so that more oxygen can be circulated. Exercise also increases blood flow, which helps your brain; it also helps your brain release serotonin, which is known for its role in fighting depression. 

2) Get enough sleep

Studies have long showed a link between inadequate sleep and cognitive troubles. But more recently research has also found that sleep deprivation can cause your skin to age faster. Indeed researchers found that those who didn't sleep well exhibited more fine lines, uneven pigmentation and reduced skin elasticity. The researchers also found that those who enjoyed quality sleep were more quick to recover from stressors to the skin such as sun and environmental toxins. The amount of sleep one needs depends on your age; most experts recommend adults get between seven and eight hours of shut-eye a night.

3) Develop a positive attitude

One recent study has found that those who see aging as an opportunity are more active, social and successful than those who don't. Positive people also live an average of 7.5 years longer. In addition, researchers studying longevity said last month that those who feel a sense of purpose and direction in life may indeed live longer, no matter what their age. These will help: A life full of love, laughter, compassion and helping others, Not taking things or yourself too seriously, Celebrate the gift of growing older and staying young at heart and never stop learning or trying new things.

4) Eat the right foods

People around the world have long marveled at the Japanese, who are more likely to reach 100 than residents of other countries, a phenomenon that many experts believe is linked to their diet. So is eating wisely really the key to staying young? It looks that way. Green tea, for example, has been shown to reduce risk of death by up to 26 percent for those who consumed several cups a day. Another study found that eating nuts everyday also helps you live longer. Yet another study found that a diet rich in omega-3s may help preserve your telomeres, and slow down the aging process. Telomeres are the ends of your chromosomes that shrink with age. In general, it appears you can reduce your risk of suffering from chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease by simply watching what you eat.

5) Enjoy more sex

Studies show that regular sex can make you look at least seven years younger -- and make you healthier as well. Research has found that those who have sex exhibit lower blood pressure than those who don't. Sex also has been found to boost your immune system as well as cut a man's risk of heart disease in half. Finally, the endorphins released during sex can make you feel more relaxed, which could help you sleep better. Enough said!

Ageing: 7 Foods That Will Keep You Younger

Ageing: 7 Foods That Will Keep You Younger

You Can add years to your life by making smarter food choices, by eating a nutrient-packed diet, you can help slow the aging process and perhaps even stave off age-related diseases, including osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease.

1. Olive Oil

Four decades ago, researchers from the Seven Countries Study concluded that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were largely responsible for the low rates of heart disease and cancer on the Greek island of Crete. Now we know that olive oil also contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that may help prevent age-related diseases.

2. Yogurt

In the 1970s, Soviet Georgia was rumored to have more centenarians per capita than any other country. Reports at the time claimed that the secret of their long lives was yogurt, a food ubiquitous in their diets. While the age-defying powers of yogurt never have been proven directly, yogurt is rich in calcium, which helps stave off osteoporosis and contains “good bacteria” that help maintain gut health and diminish the incidence of age-related intestinal illness.

3. Fish

Thirty years ago, researchers began to study why the native Inuits of Alaska were remarkably free of heart disease. The reason, scientists now think, is the extraordinary amount of fish they consume. Fish is an abundant source of omega-3 fats, which help prevent cholesterol buildup in arteries and protect against abnormal heart rhythms.

4. Chocolate

The Kuna people of the San Blas islands, off the coast of Panama, have a rate of heart disease that is nine times less than that of mainland Panamanians. The Kuna drink plenty of a beverage made with generous proportions of cocoa, which is unusually rich in flavanols that help preserve the healthy function of blood vessels. Maintaining youthful blood vessels lowers risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and dementia

5. Nuts

Studies of Seventh-Day Adventists (a religious denomination that emphasizes healthy living and a vegetarian diet) show that those who eat nuts gain, on average, an extra two and a half years. Nuts are rich sources of unsaturated fats, so they offer benefits similar to those associated with olive oil. They’re also concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals, including antioxidants.

6. Wine

Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against heart disease, diabetes and age-related memory loss. Any kind of alcoholic beverage seems to provide such benefits, but red wine has been the focus of much of the research. Red wine contains resveratrol, a compound that likely contributes to its benefits—and, according to animal studies, may activate genes that slow cellular aging.

7. Blueberries

In a landmark study published in 1999, researchers at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging fed rats blueberry extract for a period of time that in “rat lives” is equivalent to 10 human years. These rats outperformed rats fed regular chow on tests of balance and coordination when they reached old age. Compounds in blueberries (and other berries) mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage, which are associated with age-related deficits in memory and motor function.