The increasing popularity of such words as tribe, clique, circle and community may well show that we have become closer than ever, but with that comes increasing expectations of friendship. You don’t want to miss a friend’s birthday party, but what if you have to?
Consider that you’ve been invited to a weekend with friends. But with a hectic week behind you and a pile of deliverables set for the next, do you hang out or crash? We say crash.
Yeah, we understand that a good time with friends and loved ones is priceless and sometimes; you got to make a minor sacrifice. But if your body is low on energy, don’t show up moody — recuperate first. It would be a major sacrifice to do otherwise.
3 inexcusable reasons to miss out on a party to care for yourself
- Neglecting your health can be dangerous. The added responsibility that comes with
caring for yourself when you are sick can leave a lot of work undone and result in further delays to your personal development. If you have a bucket list, for example, time, resources and energy spent recuperating in healthcare could go towards achieving the items on your list. If you can avoid a personal health crisis, “just do it!” Take care of yourself. - It’s easy to excuse this author as a sadist, but facts don’t lie. Hear, “At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. Over 700 000 people die because of suicide every year. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15-29-year-olds.” When you ignore the signs of a weak body, you invariably send it on a bitter mission to deal with accumulated stressors without resources for a healthy return.
- For all the developments in health tech and science, let’s be honest, there are “no spare parts available”. The medical breakthroughs recorded in recent years is not a call for health emergencies, but a sign of hope that when and if we need saving, a procedure, a drug, a dose could come through but that is not always the case and no medical expert can promise a cure. You only have one body and while organ transplants, for example, have become increasingly possible, it’s easier to practice self-care than to imagine the health, future and financial implications of the procedure.
Not that you should turn down invitations in the name of self-care. Your family, friends, colleagues and loved ones are absolutely necessary for your survival. In fact, your survival depends on the extent to which you build healthy relationships with them. And you ought to spend time with them, but you feel better when you take time out to care for yourself.
Saying no to an invitation you want to honour is difficult. If done without proper communication, they could label you selfish and withhold their love and respect. But if done right, that would be an opportunity to engage with healthcare systems and practitioners to improve your physical and emotional health.
How to prioritize your health
Don’t wait till you have to cancel an invitation to care for yourself. Practise these simple healthcare tips.
- Eat Right: Rather than eating junk foods, deal more with whole foods such as beans and legumes, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds.
- Exercise More: begin with at least 20- 30 mins every day. You don’t have to be registered with a gym, just be consistent in using your space and take off when you’re ready.
- Sleep well: It gets the body refreshed and fit for the next day’s activities. It also helps in preventing weight gain and other heart diseases.
- Have a Schedule: plan and program how your day should go, using a to-do list that helps you schedule your time, be regular about it, create time to read a book and meditate. This will help your mental state.
- Be disciplined- if you like to look great at all times, no matter your age, then you must stop making excuses and start prioritizing your health and be deliberate about it.
A prolonged lack of sleep or proper rest can be detrimental to your health. So cancelling plans is okay to get the body recharged. Just like your cell phone battery, it dies unless you charge it. Feel okay to take time to rest on a comfortable mattress and pillows in order to get the maximum rest you need.
Understanding that your health is a foundational keystone that can affect your career, finance, relationship, and other areas of your life. You work to pay your bills, and the bills you pay get things running in your life, and that keeps you capable of making contributions in your relationships.
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