When we’re young and carefree, self-care comes naturally. We weren’t worried about paying the bills, we didn’t have kids to care for, and we had entry-level jobs that weren’t so bad.
But now, we’re responsible for businesses, kids, long-term relationships, complicated finances… the list goes on.
No wonder we need a major break by the time we reach our 40s. At our age, self-care isn’t a luxury, it’s non-negotiable.
So, here, we’re sharing the top reasons you need to take care of yourself, even more than when you were younger. Plus, we’ve included our best self-care tips for anyone over 40.
You won’t bounce back like you used to.
Once you hit 40, you’ll start to feel everything. That extra glass of wine with dinner throws off your entire next day and skipping your daily walk means aches and pains as soon as you get out of bed.
In every way, our threshold is lower as we age -- and there’s nothing wrong with that! But, it needs to be accounted for.
We’re just not able to eat fast food every day and feel amazing like we did at 15. And we can’t skip our workouts and still feel energized as we did in college.
Self Care Tip #1: Eat well (but treat yourself now and then too!) and move daily.
Sleep becomes more and more elusive.
Furthermore, as we age, even getting proper sleep becomes more difficult. Our hormones become harder to balance, and it affects our sleeping patterns, mood, and so much more.
For women, menopause is generally the culprit as your body fights to find homeostasis. But, men experience hormone imbalances related to age too.
All of these cause issues with our sleeping patterns. Not to mention parenting, pressing work schedules, and changes in your body won’t do your sleep any favors. It means you’re likely sleeping less and sleeping worse once you reach age 40.
Sleep is so important to every other biological process and getting it right can really make a difference.
Self Care Tip #2: Try a relaxing tea with honey to help you wind down every night as part of your nighttime routine to improve your sleep.
You have more responsibilities.
Finally, with age comes more responsibilities. You now probably have a partner, pets, kids, a home, a time-consuming job, and more. Eventually, when you don’t make time for yourself, it piles up and you might lash out at your family and friends.
We have to be more intentional than ever about our “me time” now that we no longer have an apartment to ourselves. It’s often difficult to find an uninterrupted moment at all.
Self Care Tip #3: Schedule alone time every day to meditate, read, or simply be with yourself. You might do something you love like a hobby or take a daily walk.
Self-care isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Especially for those of us over 40. We don’t bounce back like we used to, the basics seem more difficult to get right, and we have way more on our plates.
Still, these are actually the reasons we need to take care of ourselves. Find a self-care routine that works for you and stick to it! As you continue to grow older and wiser, you’ll be grateful you started sooner rather than later.