Taking care of yourself, for both your physical and mental health

By D'Âme Nature

Have you ever felt unmotivated, moody or irritated more often than usual? Lockdown is not something we chose, and many of us have been home alone, facing ourselves. To look at it in a more positive way, the lockdown allowed us to reflect and introspect on ourselves, to take more time for ourselves, whether it was reading books or magazines, working out a little more, cooking, taking a hot bath, or even taking classes to learn more.

However, when the lockdown faded, some of us found it difficult to reintegrate into the community and developed more stress and anxiety. Participating in social events again seemed like a new and difficult challenge, and the fear of others' judgment created anxiety for some. Others, on the other hand, rushed to see all their friends and family members as soon as the opportunity arose, even if it meant never taking a day off, or almost never! Personally, I enjoy having these little moments of solitude, which I like to call my "cocooning" moments. With a busy schedule, it is important to take time to rest and re-center yourself... to be fully grounded.

Whether we are more of an introvert or an extrovert, the intrapersonal relationship will have an impact on the interpersonal relationship, and vice versa, throughout our lives. An analysis of your own personality, behaviors, qualities and weaknesses will help you to work on yourself, to improve your well-being, your self-confidence, and to perfect your communication and exchanges with others.

Interpersonal VS Intrapersonal Relationships

First, let's see the difference between the two types of relationships. The intrapersonal relationship is the one we have with ourselves. More precisely, it is the understanding of ourselves and our emotions, self-love, self-confidence and self-esteem. From a professional point of view, the intrapersonal relationship is therefore the ability to align one's professional life with one's person, values, convictions and well-being, both physical and mental. Too often, we prioritize work and forget to take care of ourselves and our health.

Here are some tools to take care of yourself:

• Manage your time well (get enough rest and sleep)

• Give yourself permission (allow yourself breaks, take a vacation)

• Work through unpleasant emotions (experience them and share them with people you trust and who can help you go through them)

• Create beautiful images to start the day

• Become the best friend for yourself (by improving your self-confidence)

• Search for wellness tools that make you feel good

Second, the interpersonal relationship is the one we have in interaction with others. It is a reflection of the relationship we have with ourselves, i.e. if we do not feel well, our relationships and our communication with others will be affected.

What is self-confidence and self-esteem?

I think there must be a thousand definitions, a thousand ways to express and feel self-confidence and self-esteem. Simply, I would say that self-esteem is recognizing one's value and asserting one's presence in space. It is based on three elements of personality: attitude, character and self-confidence. Self-confidence is believing in one's abilities and potential, knowing one's strengths and weaknesses and how to use them in the best possible way.

From the outside, many people may appear to be confident, but only a few of them really are. Self-confidence is built throughout life and is the result of taking action and being brave. It is built from fear and our desire to overcome it.

The signs of low self-esteem and self-confidence are invisible to the human eye, but they can be: a feeling of inferiority compared to others, a difficulty in honoring one's worth, a constant fear of the gaze and judgment of others, difficulty in receiving compliments, and finally, difficulty in talking about it and seeking help.

Lack of self-esteem and self-confidence can have a negative impact on your relationships with others, as well as on your well-being. It is therefore important to seek the help you need and to come out of loneliness as much as possible. If you or a close friend needs help, you should act and take the appropriate initiatives to get out of this situation. Remember that we are never on our own.

Interested in working on yourself and improving your self-esteem and self-confidence? Using wellness tools and descriptive worksheets, an analysis of your strengths and weaknesses can help you. Contact me for more information.