Making Time to Save Your Health

Tuesday, October 8th

Making Time to Save Your Health

Time and productivity are undoubtedly linked. Naturally, people want to find ways to maximize their time, sometimes at a financial cost. Finding the perfect balance - and ultimately optimizing your level of productivity - is key to reaching your full potential... right?

Actually, this mindset can lead to worsened productivity. It can damage our sense of self-worth, and even lead to poor life decisions that can hurt our health as we age. This can lead to high healthcare costs, completely throwing a wrench in our life plans.

Even if you think you're being efficient with your time, you might not be. Think about the link between time and money: You use your time at work to make money (your career), and you often use money to create more time (paying for services). How do you spend your time? How much are you willing to spend to make time for yourself and your health?

Answering these questions should help you find your self-worth. If you don't value yourself, you can't figure out how much your time is worth. How do you balance time management concerns with positive health habits? How can you make time to save your health? Let's dig deeper into this issue:

How Much Is Your Time Worth?

As we grow older, how we value of our time becomes an important consideration. Working through the financial trials of life boils down to time management. As Benjamin Franklin once famously said, "Time is money." Like money, it is worth saving - but what is your time worth?

Of course, the answer to this is subjective. According to a Forbes article investigating the answer to this question, you can determine this answer by looking at your employment, the minimum hourly wage you'd be willing to accept, and how much you'd be willing to spend to get potentially lost time back. How does your time measure up? This should give you an idea of how you should spend your time.

Are you making full use of what your time is worth? Or, as Franklin suggests, are you getting the most bang for your buck?

Time management is important. Consider how much you expect to be paid for your work. Now, weigh that against the value you place on your time at home. This should help guide your decisions and find some time-saving measures. Depending on your situation in life, paying for small conveniences, such as buying prepared meals, can be a wise investment. They can also be a smart choice for a healthy diet. Using this logic, you can save time and better yourself while lowering financial costs.

Determining Self-Worth

Self-worth, or self-esteem, is your confidence in your own abilities and value as a human being. It's an important part of your mental health. The Mayo Clinic states that when you lack self-worth, "you put little value on your own opinions and ideas. You might constantly worry you aren't good enough." On the other hand, when you have a healthy level of self-worth, you can:

• Express your needs and opinions
• Make decisions with confidence
• Form healthy, honest relationships
• Hold realistic expectations of yourself and others

How you value your time should impact your self-worth; it should guide you in determining a good wage for your level of experience and financial goals. However, viewing your overall self-worth through a financial lens can lead to an unhealthy mindset. If your identity is based entirely on money, it can lead to self-worth issues - possibly even mental illness.

Psychology Today notes that "the way you choose to measure your worth affects the kind of life you'll live." In fact, they note, there are many factors individuals shouldn't use to measure their self-worth. This includes your:

• Net worth
• Social connections
• Career achievements
• Past performance

Instead, people should choose to measure their worth on factors they can control. With this mindset, you can weather the hardships of life without losing your sense of self-worth; when you love yourself for who you are, you don't allow things out of your control your self-esteem.

Self-Love Leads to Better Outcomes in Life

Valuing yourself is essential. Self-love has a number of benefits, ultimately making you a stronger, more productive, and less stressed individual. In another article on Psychology Today, author Dr. Seppala states that "(Self-love) is a practice that can help us all become less self-critical and, by preventing the stress and turmoil thereof, allow us to be happier, more successful, and of greater service to others." Basing your self-worth on your career achievements can lead to you being a less productive employee, while learning to genuinely love who you are leads to better life outcomes.

What sort of lifestyle changes can you make to improve your sense of self-worth? Here are a few ideas:

• Commit to Regular Exercise: Find some time each day to exercise. Giving your body a workout boosts your mood and can improve your self-image. If a gym membership doesn't suit your daily schedule, consider investing in fitness equipment such as an exercise bike.
• Improve Your Diet: What you put in your body can have a big effect on your mental health and sense of self-worth. Don't have enough time for meal prep? You can explore the best prepared meal providers here.
• Ensure You Get Enough Sleep: Fatigue can lead to poor decision-making and self-worth. Adults need about seven to nine hours of sleep each night. You may want to make the most of your time, but if you fail to find the hours necessary to get a good night's sleep, the rest of your hours will be a lot less productive and fulfilling.

Self-love is even linked to greater physical health and reduced health concerns associated with aging. In addition to making you feel better, these positive habits have some physical health benefits. They lead to reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol readings, a healthier weight, and a longer life. These positive health benefits also lead to fewer medical costs - giving you more money and time to enjoy life to the fullest.

If you ever begin to question, "What is my time worth?," keep these strategies in mind. Doing so helps you to learn to love yourself, make wise financial decisions, and adopt healthy habits, improving your life. You need make time for yourself in order to plot a fulfilling course in life.