Thrifty Thursday - 10 Ways to Take Care of Yourself

As I've begun taking care of my body, mind, and soul, I have seen how taking care of myself has helped me save money (and sanity) in the long run!

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I used to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and didn't take good care of myself.  I didn't listen to my body when it would tell me things (such as you need some rest), and I would push, push, push until I had nothing left and I ended up sick for days wondering how I got to this point.

I have learned that listening to my body, mind, and soul, and then doing something about what I hear HELPS me stay sane, and helps me save money from doctor's visits and medications!

So, here are 10 ways I actively take care of myself, and save money in the process:

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1 - Know your limits!

Yesterday, I had a looooong day.  It was one of those days where I felt like there were way too many things to do in way too little time. I would accomplish one thing, and it would feel like I barely scratched the surface to what I was hoping to accomplish.

I reached a certain point where I had reached my thinking capacity limit. I knew that if I were to try to continue with what I was trying to accomplish, it wasn't going to be my best work, and what I was doing NEEDED my best work.

So, I stopped. I realized what I was trying to accomplish today did NOT have to be done TODAY! I recognized that my limit had been reached, I listened to my soul, and I stopped.

The book "The Happiness Equation" by Neil Pasricha talks about making too many decisions in a day can lead to being unhappy and overwhelmed. The less decisions we can force ourselves to make, the better off we will be.

Yesterday, I reached a point where I had forced myself to make too many decisions in too little time. So I had to stop in order to save my happiness/sanity.

2 - Listen to your body!

Your body is such a beautiful instrument! It has a mind of it's own that tries to talk to you, but you have to consciously listen to it to hear what it's trying to say.

Our bodies can tell us SO many things! It can tell us that "you're back is hurting due to a bad sleep position", and if we hear that message, we can make sure to put more thought into the position we put ourselves in at bedtime tonight.

Our bodies can say, "you're beginning to get a headache due to dehydration", and if we hear that, we can go grab a glass of water!

I get migraines, and they usually are caused by a combination of lack of sleep and dehydration, therefore I have to keep an awareness on how my head is feeling and if I need to drink more water!

Our bodies are so amazing messengers! We just have to practice listening to them!

3 - Drink water!

Drinking water can not be as fun as drinking something such as a coke or coffee, but our bodies need WATER! Our wallets also need us to drink more water too!

Drinking water can not only save us from headaches (or hang-overs), it can save us money in the long run!

At restaurants, drink water! It's free, and it will actually make you feel better than that Diet Coke you always get.

Just try it!

4 - Use oils!

I live an oily life. I use oils all throughout my day in all kinds of ways.

I use them in a diffuser to help start my day and keep me inspired. I use them under my nose and on my chest when I go to bed at night. I use them in my water to give it a healthy boost of flavor, and I use them in Veggie Capsules to keep my immune system up (thus keeping me from the doctors office and away from having to take off work for being sick).

If you'd like to learn more about oils, click on the "YL" tab at the top of the page under MARIA'S MISSIONS.

5 - Do nothing!

Sometimes, we need to just do nothing.

Now, I don't mean sit in front of the TV, or playing a game or anything like that... I literally mean nothing.

This is something I have had to practice A LOT! It's HARD to do nothing. It feels like a waste of time, especially when you have so much to do! But I have learned how doing nothing for a moment can help you do everything else the rest of the time.

One of my favorite ways to do nothing is to sit in my favorite living room chair with a cup of tea or coffee, and do nothing but sit.

My dad often says a quote, "Sometimes I just sit there and think, and sometimes I just sit."

This is the proper time to just sit.

Try not to think of your To Do list or anything else.

You can think of your favorite landscape or of your favorite flower, but relax your mind and try to do and think of... nothing.

This will give your brain and body a much needed rest you've probably been neglecting.

6 - Take a hike...!

You hear the phrase, "take a hike!" and it's usually used in a rude, negative way, but really take it to heart and DO IT!

Take a hike!

Go outside and find a trail whether it's man-made or not! Allow yourself time in nature, breathing in fresh air, feeling the dirt beneath your feet, and getting some good ole' exercise!

Take your kids on this hike!

Trust me, they're remember this time for years to come!

7 - Keep your Sabbath holy!

In today's world, we work longer and harder than we ever have, and we can often feel guilty for taking an entire day off in the week. The funny thing is God COMMANDED us to do it. God loves us and cares for us and knows that taking a day off from working is something we NEED.

It's one of the best ways we can take care of ourselves!

Now, this does taking planning. In order to not work a full day, you have to plan in advance what needs to be done days prior, or what can be put off for the day after.

Take the time to plan, and keep your Sabbath holy!

8 - Take a bath!

Ahhh... bath time! Taking a bath (instead of a shower) every once and a while can help clear your mind. It's one of those sacred places where you can unwind and enjoy the warmth of the water against your skin and even play some soft "spa" music in the background.

I love going all-out by lighting candles, turning on music, and adding essential oils such as lavender to my bath.

This is "me" time that I have to give myself every now and then, and allow myself the freedom to unwind and take a few minutes just for me.

9 - Find healthy comfort foods.

"a modern way to eat" by Anna Jones is one of my all-time favorite cook books! It includes healthy options that are delicious but will also help you feel good after eating them!

I definitely recommend either buying this book online, or finding it at your local library and giving it a try!

The recipes are delicious, yet feel like that good ole' comfort food! This is a win, win all around!

10 - Have some "you" time!

What is your favorite thing to do? Paint? Sing? Bike ride? Roller skate? Bowl? Scuba dive? Rock climb? Read a book? Go geocaching?

Whatever your favorite thing to do is, find time to DO IT! You need some "you" time in your crazy, busy life! Schedule a time to either go by yourself, or ask a friend to join you in doing a thing you absolutely love.

No matter what it is you love to do, find the time to be you doing what you love to do.

. . . 

Take care of yourself. 

Listen. Stop. Go. 

Be proactive in taking care of yourself NOW...

so that you don't have to spend $$$ on fixing what's broken then.