With the start of a new school year, September is the perfect time to refine your self-care habits. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as “individuals, families, and communities promoting and maintaining their own health, preventing disease, and coping with illness and disability.”

During this Self-Care Awareness Month, think about how you can treat your mind and body with respect. It is vital to maintain healthy self-care habits to improve your mental and physical health. While self-care can easily be neglected with a busy schedule, it is important to spend time each day to nourish your mind and body.

Self-care helps manage stress and promote happiness. Here are some small actions to consider to help take care of yourself:

• Exercise regularly.
  • Walking is a great way to exercise that is not too strenuous and will boost your mood and health. 30 minutes is sufficient, but more is great! If 30 minutes is too much, walk as long as you can and try to work up to 30 minutes. If you want to increase your level of fitness, do some more rigorous exercise. Run, go to the gym, or do something else you enjoy! Exercise can give you more energy throughout the day. It can also reduce the risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure, heart attack, and mental ill-health.
• Eat a healthy diet.
  • Try to eat consistent meals with different types of food to adequately nourish your body. Eat more fruit and vegetables. Also, limit consumption of caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and soda.
• Sleep!
  • Sleep is so important to your health, so make sure to get adequate sleep every night. Blue light from technology can make it harder to fall asleep, so limit your phone and laptop use before bed.
• Try relaxing activities.
  • Activities like meditation, yoga, muscle relaxation, and breathwork are great for your health.
• Drink water!
• Take short and frequent breaks throughout the day.
  • Try to take a 5-10 minute break for every hour of work you complete.

First Bank offers their employees access to the Calm app, the No. 1 app for mental fitness. Calm’s diverse content library offers resources to suit your schedule and needs. This includes guided meditations, specialized music playlists, expert-led classes, and more. Click here to learn more about Calm for your business!

Learn more at First Bank.