There’s one thing that all people aspire to have in life. Can you guess what it is? Well here’s a hint – we all have goals. It’s even possible for us to have goals and not realize them. The definition of the word goal is, “the end toward which effort is directed.”
For example, if you play an instrument and you’re trying to master a song, you’ll have to practice the song repetitively in order to master it. Or you can work hard to reach small goals in high school in order to get into your dream college. So no matter how big or small a goal, everyone’s goals are personal and different. Having that said, goals can cause lots of stress if they are not particularly easy to meet. Stressing over a goal can lead to extreme tunnel vision focused on completing that goal. This can lead to a lack of self-care which can have serious physical and mental effects. Self-care goes beyond detailed skin and hair care routines. It has a lot to do with keeping a good state of mind and healthy body.
Self-care and Mental Health
As a teenager, it’s important and challenging to have balance in your life. As individuals, we all have so much going on between extracurriculars and school. At times, all the things we need to get done can seem overwhelming. Things that increase this feeling of being overwhelmed include: obsessing, lack of confidence, and a lack of sleep. Obsessing is something that can be difficult to avoid when you have goals.
It often comes between performances or events. And although it’s natural to want everything to go smoothly, unexpected things happen, preventing perfection. The best thing to do in those situations is to directly address the problem and come up with the best solution for it. Then, we all just have to let it go.
No one is perfect, and as teenagers we are still developing and learning how to make the right calls in certain situations. Do some short-term thinking about the situation or mistake itself for future reference and, again, then let it go. Having a lack of confidence is something we all suffer with from time to time when it comes to things we are unsure about.
Confidence is Key
Confidence can help you do the things you have only dreamed of doing. Oftentimes, it is our key to success. For instance, if you play an instrument and you’re going into a performance, it doesn’t matter if you rehearsed the song a thousand times. Without truly believing in yourself, you won’t be able to make it through the song.
Therefore, having confidence in yourself will improve your overall self-esteem and reduce stress. If you go into things with an “I can do this” mindset, you shouldn’t need to worry about whether or not things will turn out okay. This aspect of self-care is all about believing in yourself more than your preparation.
Furthermore, by reducing the amount of time you spend stressing and obsessing, you can help put your mind at ease and thus boost your overall performance. It also the takes pressure off because it shows you that you don’t have to be perfect all the time. Plus, you can enjoy life experiences so much more.
Selfcare and Physical Health
Your physical health is definitely the most important aspect of life. Your physical health determines your quality of life; and this is a known fact. Things like not getting enough sleep or overworking yourself can lead to a decline in your physical health. Especially at a young age, sleep is vital! It allows you to function and gives your body a break. Also, during sleep your body works to allow healthy brain function (NIH).
For us as teens, sleep supports our growth and development because we grow while we are asleep. Sleep allows you to stay awake and alert throughout the day to accomplish the things you need to accomplish. Therefore, this is something that cannot and should not be neglected.
It’s All About Balance
Overworking yourself is something closely related with sleep because it’s important to take breaks between work. Not only will you be happier, more productive, and energetic, you won’t be underperforming in work nor be exhausted. So, if you get your work and activities done in intervals, the quality of work will be better than working on something constantly over an extended period of time until it’s finished.
These aspects of good physical health have everything to do with balance. Having a balanced life is so important because you don’t want to neglect yourself while trying to achieve your goals.
Activities to Keep Your Mental & Physical Well-Being at its Peak
- Go for walks
- Hangout with friends
- Read
- Watch TV
- Draw or doodle
- Crochet
- Exercise
- Listen to music
- Talk to a friend or family member
It’s Never too Late to Start Early
All these things and more are important because you never want to get so wrapped up in your work that it’s all you have. Life is about much more being successful, and having these activities to look forward to can help you avoid burnout as well.
It’s vital that you avoid burnout at this stage in life because you have the rest of it ahead of you in which you’ll have to work a lot more to reach many more goals. The work-life balance is so important and it’ll keep you happy and healthy. At the end of the day, this matters just as much as reaching your goals.
So go out and enjoy being a teenager while also working towards your bright future!
