How to Help a Friend Who Has Horrible Self-Care Habits
It's a well-known fact that self-care is important, but that doesn't mean everyone practices it as often as they should.
If you've got a friend with poor wellness habits, it can be difficult to watch them not take better care of themselves. Luckily, there are things you can do to encourage your pal to adopt better, healthier behavior.
Scroll down for a list of ways to aid a friend who has horrible self-care habits.
Act as a Confidence Booster
Part of self-care involves knowing your own self-worth, which helps give you confidence to go out in the world and try new things, or excel at the things you already do. Knowing and understanding your self-worth is also a great self-esteem booster. If you have a friend who isn't as confident in themselves just yet, go ahead and do your part to make them feel good. This could include anything from congratulating them on an accomplishment in school to encouraging a hobby or passion they have. The more confident your pal feels, the more likely they are to practice self-care.
Mention How Self-Care Has Helped You
People who aren't fans of self-care often don't know much about it, or they think it's a frivolous waste of time—when, in fact, it can be incredibly restorative and helpful in many ways. If self-care has improved your life, be as open and honest with your experience as you wish. Sometimes hearing positive things from loved ones is enough to convince someone to give something new (like self-care) a chance. If your friend can see and better understand how self-care has had a positive impact on your life, they might just give it a chance.
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Offer to Be Their Self-Care Buddy
If you feel comfortable, you can even go one step further and offer to be your friend's self-care buddy—invite them to a yoga class or suggest they host an at-home spa day and have them over. That way, they'll get a small dose of self-care with you by their side and hopefully they will see firsthand how restorative relaxing it can be.
Give Them a Self-Care-Centric Gift
If you prefer to practice self-care alone but still want to help out a friend with poor self-care habits, pick them up a small, self-care-centric gift to help get the ball rolling. Believe it or not, this kind gesture can cost little to no money. Buy your pal a journal and encourage them to write down their thoughts or share a Spotify playlist of tracks you use during relaxation or meditation.
(via Unsplash)
Spend Time With Your Pal Doing Something Fun
Believe it or not, laughing frequently is a great (and easy) way to practice self-care, and it might feel less invasive than some of those other habits mentioned above, especially to someone who is resistant to self-care. With that in mind, do something fun with your pal—rewatch one of their favorite comedies, go see a movie or take in a comedy show. As the old adage goes, laughter is the best medicine!
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