Experts always tell us that one of the best ways to take better care of your health and achieve better wellness is by investing in self-care. When you prioritize self-care, you are able to boost concentration, productivity, energy, and happiness. You get to reduce stress, anxiety, anger, and even frustration. Research also shows that self-care can boost one’s quality of life.
But then, one can have many reasons why they are not able to prioritize self-care. This is despite knowing how crucial self-care is to their career, health, overall well-being, and quality of life. The following are size common reasons why many people fail to prioritize and stick to their self-care objectives:
Guilt
There are people who feel guilty for engaging in self-care. They can’t help but listen to that nagging feeling that tells them they have better things to do with their time. Others are too focused on the goals that they define success based on how much they work.
There are also those who believe self-care is selfish. They feel like indulging in self-care makes them feel and look selfish. Self-care feels like a crime, where putting their own self first feels wrong.
Lack of Time
Many of us are guilty of foregoing self-care due to our hectic schedules. We feel like there is not enough time in a day to get everything accomplished, let alone priorities self-care. We find it hard to fit self-care activities in our schedule when you have tons of to-do lists to tick off.
Some people are too busy caring for their family, raising kids, and making sure the house stays clean and everyone is healthy. Others are after their dream career or are building their own brands. It is so easy to use lack of time as an excuse for forgoing self-care.
Financial Challenges
One usual reason people don’t invest in self-care is their financial situation. They find it too expensive to buy self-care products, invest in healthy meals, exercise in the gym, or even visit a reliable dental clinic to take great care of their teeth. Many believe that since self-care involves many aspects like regular visits to the doctor and dentist, exercising regularly, or eating balanced healthy meals, self-care is already expensive.
Others can’t even afford to eat a balanced meal three times a day. Some can’t manage the fact that many self-care activities involve money. Since we now live in the modern world, people find it makes better sense to simply survive than to make an effort to ensure their self-care needs are met.
Unrealistic Expectations
Some people set expectations that are quite difficult to meet, making them unrealistic. Your self-care goals could include achieving a healthier weight at the end of the month. But if you don’t consider everything before setting goals and expectations, you can end up failing miserably and frustrated.
Unrealistic expectations stem from not recognizing the factors that can influence your outcome. When trying to achieve a certain weight, you will need to consider your body type, metabolism, willingness to exercise and diet, and your own health. Simply stating your goal won’t guarantee success and can even ruin your motivation.
Difficulty Changing Habits
This is another reality everyone must face when changing for the better. If you are one who is not used to prioritizing self-care, then chances are you will have difficulty adapting to new habits. This is since bad habits are tough to break.
One can’t simply decide to indulge in self-care and expect themselves to keep new habits in a snap. There will be complications and hurdles along the way. Keeping new habits and tossing the old ones can prove to be frustrating.
Healthcare Systems Focused on Sickness Services
Last but not least is the fact that many of today’s healthcare systems are focused on treating illness instead of preventive healthcare. It is true that more healthcare professionals are educating consumers about the importance of preventive healthcare. But still, there is so much room for improvement.
For one, modern consumers are after convenience, better support, and integration of technology. They take their time finding the right doctor and clinic, reading reviews, and scheduling appointments online. But since many practices still can’t offer such options, they find themselves turning to complementary and alternative medicine.
These are but six challenges facing people wanting to prioritize self-care. Usually, a combination of these reasons is stopping them from indulging in healthcare. Managing each challenge will be difficult, that’s for sure. But it is never impossible to change for the better so you can start reaping the rewards adequate self-care has to offer.
