How to Help Prioritize Self-Care When Dating or in a Relationship
Hey, guess what? It’s time to start prioritizing your self-care, regardless of your relationship status.
Yes, that means everything from embracing your singleness to living with your partner in a long-term partnership. Regardless of this, self-love and self-care are critical components of your life and should be treated as such. So, next time you decide to put all of your time and energy into someone else (and we’re not saying not to dedicate time to others — sharing love with the people you care about is an amazing thing to do), remember that it’s not wrong to be selfish and focus on yourself, too.
Ready to begin embracing and taking care of your basic human needs? Check out these tips below.
Set boundaries with partners from the get-go
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Effective communication is key to any relationship, whether casual or long-term. This is why setting healthy relationship boundaries around your self-care routines is so pivotal. Perhaps some of these essential relationship boundaries surrounding self-care will be things you want to do solo, while others might be something your partner can take part in, as well. Regardless of what you choose to do, make it clear to them from the beginning that taking care of yourself is necessary and something you won’t put on the back burner.
Don’t forget that you are important
If there’s one thing we truly want you to take home from this article, it’s that you should never base your feelings of self-worth on the opinions, words, or even actions of someone else. You are more important than you know. Even if you already know how important you are, it’s even more than that.
By performing acts of service for yourself, including taking care of yourself and loving your body, you show yourself that you are worthy.
Keep on top of your physical health
Some of our most basic human needs lie in taking care of our physical health, including our sexual health. In addition to the various health checks for folks with penises and health checks for vulva owners that you can perform, you can also take care of your body by exercising, eating healthy and delicious foods (and your favourite treats, when the mood strikes), or even doing things like switching to natural healthcare products. Eco-friendly menstruation products or preservative-free shaving creams and lotions are a great start!
Engage in activities that make you feel good
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Doing the things you love can benefit both your physical and emotional health! Anything from exercise to meditation to taking a day off to create art can be considered self-love exercises, so long as it feels fulfilling to you. Many of these activities can even help you in knowing your body better.
Another thing we love is that, depending on your mood, plenty of feel-good activities can be done alone or with a partner, if you feel like it.
Make time to go on self-dates
Call us dramatic, but we feel like going on self-dates is one of our basic human needs. By taking the time out of your day to do something alone, even if only for an hour or so, you’re showing yourself that you care about you. As you get better at learning how to date yourself, you’ll discover more of your interests, more about yourself, and more about the person you are continually evolving into.
Remember the benefits of effective communication
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Last, but certainly not least, open communication is a fantastic way to practice self-care. We mean both with those around you and with yourself, too! Learning to have better conversations with others (particularly your partner) can be crucial to address your concerns healthily and solve issues as they arise. Likewise, introspection and self-reflections (such as through journaling) can help you learn more about what you can do to better yourself in your physical and emotional journey through life.
From mastering effective communication to tell your dates or partner(s) that you need to take time for self-care, all the way to ensuring that both your physical health and emotional health are looked after, prioritizing yourself is so important. Finding the perfect balance of life and love is a critical skill, whether you’re casually dating or in a short-term relationship, all the way to being married to your life partner.
Don’t be afraid to make your self-care regime first and foremost. You can’t be the best version of yourself without it.
How do you make sure that both your physical health and emotional health are taken care of when dating or in a relationship? Are there particular self-care practices that you swear by? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
