7 Signs You Are Neglecting Self-Care

Are you neglecting self-care routines? Many of us don’t really prioritize our self-care.

We make time for everything else in our lives—family, work, career, business, and even other people like friends. But we rarely take the time to take care of ourselves.

Being able to consciously put your own physical, mental, and emotional well-being on the front burner is critical not just to achieving your goals that matter to you, but also to living a happier, healthier, and more successful life.

And you can’t do that if you break down because you failed to look after yourself.

So, how do you know that neglecting to attend to yourself is beginning to take its toll on your health and wellbeing?

You’re frequently stressed out

One of the signs that you’re neglecting self-care is constantly feeling stressed out.

It’s not easy to keep up with all the responsibilities we face every day, whether it’s work, family, relationships, etc. We’re constantly exposed to stressors. And because of how damaging chronic stress can be to our health, we must take our self-care seriously.

When stressed, your body and mind no longer work to full capacity. You feel both physically exhausted and mentally wiped out. Just as your legs are no longer able to carry you, your thinking, memory, focus, and decision-making begin to crumble. This ultimately makes you less productive.

So, self-care is key to preserving the physical and psychological resources you need to push through daily responsibilities effectively and productively.

What you need to do:

If you’re always feeling stressed, take time to nurture yourself and your body without interruption. If possible, a massage, a hot bath, or another form of pampering can revitalize you inside and out.

More importantly, healthier lifestyle choices are important too. Eat healthy diets, get regular exercise, and get enough sleep.

You feel sleepy all the time

Getting a sufficient amount of sleep on a regular basis is probably the most effective way to help your mind and body relax and recover after a day’s work.

According to studies, you need at least 7–8 hours of bedtime sleep to feel fully rejuvenated. This helps your body restore its hormonal balance and helps the brain clear out toxins and repair itself so that you wake up in the morning feeling fresh and alert again.

However, if you’re in the habit of restricting your sleep, it’s going to reflect in many ways on your body, including making you feel sleepy during the day.

So, while feeling sleepy may be normal, it’s important to point out that it can also be the result of putting your body through excessive stress and neglecting proper self-care efforts.

What you need to do:

• Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks, etc.) for 8 to 10 hours before bedtime.
• Revise your habits to support sleep, such as not staying up to watch TV when it’s sleep time.
• Make sleep a priority and follow a consistent sleep routine.

You’re having major brain fog

Living with brain fog is no easy feat. It affects everything you do throughout the day, not to mention your interactions with other people.

Imagine having difficulties trying to remember the name of a colleague at the office or where you left an important file just a few minutes ago.

Brain fog is simply what happens when you start feeling mentally sluggish and fuzzy. It affects your ability to focus, making it difficult for you to recall things or pay attention to what’s going on around you. You just feel out of sorts.

Most of the time, an underlying cause of it is a lack of self-care.

When you overwork yourself, have little or no time for rest, and hardly get enough sleep, all that stress will boomerang and leave your mind foggy.

What you need to do:

• Follow a healthier lifestyle by eating balanced diets and avoiding alcohol and drugs, which impair the senses and adversely affect the brain.
• Try to get some extra rest whenever you can (even if it’s a short break).
• Take extra time to organize your schedule or rework your to-do list so that you’re prioritizing your most important tasks.
• Get more physically active to improve your thinking, concentration, and attention.

Your sex drive is low

Low sex drive or loss of libido is a common problem that affects about 30% of men and 40% of women at some point in their lives.

When people experience a loss of libido, their sexual desires reduce or they lose interest in sexual activities.

While this can sometimes be due to other health issues, it’s also linked to long work hours, lack of sleep, depleted energy levels, and alcohol.

For example, a recent study linked sleep restriction with a 10–15% decrease in testosterone levels, especially between 2:00 pm and 10:00 pm the next day.

Testosterone is the male hormone responsible for stimulating sperm production and plays a major role in sex drive.

So, if you notice your sex drive suddenly dropping, you need to look at your lifestyle and how it may be engineering the situation.

What you need to do:

• Take some time off work to care for yourself, relax, and get back to the groove.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat nutritious diets.
• Work to improve your relationship.

Your skin is super dry

Dry and itchy skin can occur at any age, but if you’re over 50 years old, you need to take extra care to prevent it.

The reason is that the glands that make oil for the skin tend to become smaller and make less oil as people age.

Aging may contribute to the cause of dry skin, but neglecting self-care can also be a major culprit.

Dermatitis neglecta is an inflammatory skin condition that results when you ignore your skin hygiene.

What you need to do:

• Researchers say a low-fat diet can lead to dry skin. So, eating foods with a bit more fat content, such as walnuts, olives, and others.
• Use moisturizers that are compatible with your skin type.

You’re easily getting sick

A strong immune system is what helps fight off harmful substances and germs that enter the body to prevent us from falling ill.

If it weren’t for the immune system, you would pick up every cold, flu, and virus that goes around your environment.

Unfortunately, most people engage in lifestyles that pose a serious risk to their immune systems, which makes them vulnerable to incessant disease attacks and sickness.

What you need to do:

• Choose a healthy lifestyle that prioritizes your overall well-being, such as eating healthy foods, not smoking, having a good exercise regimen, getting adequate sleep, and taking time to rest.

You’re dependent on caffeine

Ideally, you only need to drink less than four cups of coffee per day. But if you’re fond of guzzling too much coffee like nobody’s business, be assured that it will not bode well for your health.

Most people rely on coffee to get through the day. The reason is that coffee contains caffeine that boosts energy, makes you feel less tired, increases energy levels, and improves your brain function, including your mood.

However, if you find that you need to drink a massive amount of caffeine to be able to function and get through the day, it’s probably because you’re neglecting your self-care.

What you need to do:

• • Take care of yourself so that you don’t have to rely on caffeine to stimulate yourself.
  • It is recommended that you don’t drink coffee 6 hours before bed so that it doesn’t disturb your sleep and your body can have time to recover.
  • Drinking more water will fight fatigue and improve mood and energy levels.
  • Eat more foods with vitamin C, iron, magnesium, zinc, fiber, and the B complex vitamins.

Final Thought

Proper self-care helps you avoid regrets.

If you want to feel great, stay healthy, and be productive, engaging in conscious personal care is essential.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend tons of money on skin care products or dine at 5-star restaurants.

It’s simply about incorporating lifestyle habits that prioritize your physical, mental, and emotional health at all times.