According to the dictionary, a necessity is defined as something that is indispensable; something needed to survive. If that is true, it seems logical that a luxury must be something that nobody necessarily needs, but many people desire. However, the dictionary goes a step further to say a luxury must not only be desirable but also expensive or difficult to obtain.

Many of us have so many responsibilities in life: work, a spouse, children, pets, maintaining a household… these responsibilities take up our mind and our to-do list so things like personal needs tend to get put on the back burner. Who has time to get their nails done or take a long hot bath when there is laundry to fold and emails that need responses. Time for yourself? What is that? Who has time for that luxury… seems selfish, right?

I’m sure many of you reading this can relate; and while work being a priority over a long hot bubble bath may hold true in our minds, the opposite has been proven. We actually perform better at work, are more capable of handling stress, and are more present at home with our spouse and children when we are feeling our absolute best.

Taking time out to maintain self-care has several benefits:

1. Emotional Health
Let’s be honest, sometimes we just need a moment to ourselves. Whether it’s to read a book, get your nails done or even drink a cup of coffee in silence; being alone can be extremely therapeutic. We need this time to relax, calm our minds and better equip ourselves to take on day to day stresses.

2. Physical Health
Stress and sleep deprivation not only affect your mental health but it can also affect your physical well-being. Stress can weaken the immune system, cause headaches and lower labido.

3. Increased Confidence
When we take the time to get our hair done or a spray tan, we not only look better but feel better. Self confidence in our appearance has a way of overflowing into the way we carry ourselves and handle day to day decisions.

4. Better Caregiver
Spending every waking day ensuring our work, husband, kids and pets are taken care of and leaving only the crumbs for ourselves can only last for so long before it takes a mental, physical or even emotional toll. At some point, we will hit a breaking point. Taking care of ourselves will give us the strength to better take care of those around us.

The truth is, as much as we all know this, we still fall into the same pattern of taking care of everyone around us before ourselves. Why is that? It is probably the same reason you’ve broken your diet, fell behind on your workout plan, or postponed your dream business venture; because you’d rather break a promise to yourself than to someone else. Well guess what, just like you would lose trust and respect for a friend that always flakes, your subconscious knows you can’t be trusted.

We can’t keep viewing ourselves and self care as a luxury or even an afterthought. Even the strongest machines need regular maintenance to complete their job. We also need to stop using the excuse, “I don’t have time.” The time will never just come, we have to make it. If we don’t make the time to care for ourselves, like we make the time to feed and care for our families we will find ourselves with no time left. 20 minutes is all it takes. 20 minutes of meditation, relaxation or silence to improve our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. 20 minutes to improve our confidence, our mood and our performance.

If you’re not sure what you can do in those 20 minutes, here are a few services offered at your neighborhood Planet Beach for just a low monthly investment in yourself:

1. Massage: A traditional massage may take up to an hour but thanks to Planet Beach, you can reap the benefits of a traditional massage with one of our automated massage services.

2. Infrared Sauna Therapy: Time in an infrared sauna is no longer a luxury. The benefits include stress reduction, detoxification and improved immunity.. those don’t sound like luxuries to me.

3. Exercise: Too anxious to sit still for 20 minutes? Knock out two birds with one stone and jump into HOTWORX to complete a 15 minute hot cycling session. Your legs may be burning when you get out but your body and future you will thank you later.

Check out planetbeach.com/spa-locator to find a location near you!

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Written By: Alyssa Fink, Franchise Performance Consultant