Self-Care Basics: Raise Your Health & Lower Your Expenses
Taking care of your body and your mind can be an overwhelming task when there’s so much other stuff to do during the day. Many people have a hard time prioritizing self-care when they have to worry about making enough money at their job, taking care of their kids, and finding the right romantic partner to spend time with.
Unfortunately, ignoring your health can be costly in a variety of ways. Life insurance determining factors include whether you have chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Other lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking alcohol can lead to liver or lung cancer.
We’ll talk about some of the best ways to put yourself first so everything else in life falls into place. If you compromise your body and mind, all of your other priorities will fall apart with them. This domino effect is hard to reverse, so we’ll discuss ways to prevent bad health problems before they occur.
# 1 – Getting a Routine Checkup
Nobody is jumping for joy about going to the doctor. The environment can be a little sterile, the fear of being diagnosed with something devastating rings in the back of your mind, and you have to take time out of your day to do something that isn’t part of your routine. It’s important to think about the positives of getting a checkup, though.
Start with finding a good doctor you trust. The physician should have a good personality, a welcoming demeanor, and a good knowledge of medicine. Ask your friends and family if they have any suggestions for good doctors in the area. Make sure you have health insurance to cover your routine checkups, otherwise the bills will be costly.
It’s important to understand the way your body changes as you get older, too. You may have to go to the doctor more often as you get into middle age because of things like menopause, increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, and high blood pressure. It’s frightening to think about, but knowing what’s happening with your body will prevent complications.
Try to stay on a routine for your checkups. If you like going in the morning, make sure you always make your appointments at this time. Small motivational factors like this will encourage you to keep making the extra effort to take care of yourself, even when there are other things you deem more important in your life.
#2 – Performing Self-Exams
Whether you get regular checkups or not, there are certain things you should be doing on your own to decide whether your health is good or not. Self-exams are an important part of self-care, and you need to know what to look for when checking your body. Men need to worry about testicular cancer frequently in their 20s and 30s, and women worry about breast cancer.
Feeling for lumps in the genital area and under the breast area is an important self-care routine. If you feel something unusual, you know it’s time to go to the doctor. If you are diagnosed with cancer, it’s better to catch it early. A good emotional support system and professionals who know how to treat cancer will make your prognosis better.
Not performing self-exams can be costly for your wallet. Complications from cancer, disease, and other health problems can cost a lot of money. You’ll also have a hard time getting a life insurance policy for your family if you don’t take care of yourself. Identifying what’s wrong with your health and correcting it will decrease risks for life insurers.
Ask your doctor how to perform your self-exam properly so you don’t overreact to something that doesn’t mean anything. You need to know what you’re looking for. Some public schools teach self-exam basics in health classes, so young people need to pay attention and use that knowledge later on.
#3 – Preventing Colds, Flu, and COVID-19
With all of the tragic consequences of COVID-19 in the last several years, many people have forgotten about the importance of avoiding the flu and the common cold. There are many preventative measures you can take to avoid these illnesses, and most of them are simple and easy to do every day.
Try to eat a good amount of fruits and vegetables every day. Items high in antioxidants are especially helpful to avoid illnesses. These help your immune system build up its strength. Incorporate them into your diet in ways you enjoy. Treat yourself to a small cup of ice cream with strawberries and blueberries. This is a relaxing way to put antioxidants in your body.
Keeping hydrated is also important when it comes to preventing illnesses. There are loads of surprising benefits of drinking water, including improving brain function, boosting your energy levels, and keeping your nasal passages hydrated to fight off cold and flu viruses.
If you’re still at high risk for COVID-19, you need to make sure you mask up when around people, keep several feet of distance, and ask your doctor about booster shots. Right now three vaccinations are recommended for the majority of people, although older Americans can get a fourth vaccination.
#4 – Looking for High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, and Chronic Illnesses
You need to make sure you take preventative measures to fight against chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes. Smoking, drinking, and getting too stressed can all lead to higher blood pressure. Eating too many carbohydrates and sugars can lead to an increased risk of diabetes.
Getting exercise doing something you enjoy is the best way to solve a lot of your health problems. Consider choosing a team sport with friends. You’ll get to have fun with people you like, and get moving with an activity of your choice.
Badminton or volleyball are good sports for people of all ages to try because they have moderate movement, but nothing too strenuous.
#5 – Enjoying Hobbies
Mental health is just as important as physical health. It can relieve stress and lead to improved moods, social interactions, and more. Whether you like to watch a movie or play video games, finding a hobby and doing it for even an hour a day is a great way to improve your state of mind.
Hopefully you take to heart how important it is to maintain good self-care. You can’t love anyone else effectively if you don’t love yourself. It’s not selfish to put your mental and physical health at the forefront of your daily routine.
Go to the doctor, perform self-exams, eat right, exercise, and enjoy your hobbies. This is a great baseline for living happily and healthily.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the insurance comparison site, Clearsurance.com. He wants to help people identify ways to improve their physical and mental health.