Revealed: The top self-care states
Why is self-care important? To explore what is self-care to different residents across the US, we researched 50 states. Discover our interesting findings here.
Self-care is as important as it’s ever been, but what is self-care, why is self-care important and which states are leading the way for residents going above and beyond to look after themselves?
As well as offering handy lifestyle advice from expert Dennis Relojo-Howell, founder of Psychreg, we’ve analyzed various factors to bring you the definitive capital of self-care and which states are topping the charts for each assessed element. Simply read on to discover more.
What is self-care?
Self-care is all about focusing on yourself by doing things to continually improve your mental and physical health. This can range from exercising more to seeking counseling to discuss your stresses and anxieties in a proactive way. Because living well and ensuring you’re taking care of yourself, and finding the time to do so, is essential.
Why is self-care important?
Perhaps you’re asking yourself, “why is self-care important?” In which case, we’re here to answer that for you. Self-care is the key to taking care of both your mental and physical health, and is a crucial factor for maintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle overall. Taking charge of your emotions and recognizing when you need a time out is crucial, and that’s exactly what practicing self-care allows you to do.
To make comparing state performance possible, we’ve created an index, whereby each of the 50 states is given a score between 0.00-1.00 for each of six ranking factors (disposable income per capita, the number of national park sites, average precipitation rates, residents per health club, and Google search trends for beauty salons and therapists), relative to their real performance.From here, we combined each of the six scores to give every state a value between 0.00-6.00, with the highest-scoring state crowned the self-care capital. Each bracketed value is the score out of 1.00 for each labeled factor, unless specified.
Taking all factors into consideration, California comes out on top as the best state for self-care. The Golden State scored 3.62 on our index, with New York (3.25) in second, the only other to surpass a score of three. Making up the top five self-care states were Nevada, Utah, and Virginia, each scoring 2.97, 2.94, and 2.92, respectively.
The East Coast dominates when it comes to disposable income, with Connecticut (1.00), Massachusetts (0.89), New Jersey (0.82), and New York (0.87) each reporting over $60,000 in expendable earnings per capita. Not far behind, Washington state is the only West Coast representative within the top five, with an index score of 0.70, while overall index leader California (0.68) just misses out.Spending time surrounded by nature can make a huge difference to our emotional wellbeing and can really help to reduce stress. So, what is self-care doing to help? There are major physiological benefits, with open space shown to improve the immune system and lower blood pressure.With the likes of Yosemite and Sequoia stealing the hearts of millions across the nation, California comes away with a perfect score (1.00) and is the top state for national parks.Next up, they might be over 4.000 miles apart geographically, but there’s no separating New York and Alaska, who both score 0.85, while Virginia (0.78) and Arizona (0.78) round off our top five states for areas of protected beauty.Get creative in your free time
Encouraging creativity in yourself is one of the greatest forms of self-care and allows you to express your personality and character. Whether it be getting arty with paint and colors, trying new things in the kitchen, or picking up a new skill in photography and writing, enjoy the feeling of relaxation as let your creative juices flow.
Weather can have a massive impact on mental health, with seasonal affective disorder affecting an estimated 10 million Americans.It comes as little surprise that the top five states for low precipitation are those in the arid west, with Nevada (1.00), Arizona (0.95), Wyoming (0.92), New Mexico (0.92), and Montana (0.89) each receiving the least annual rainfall.At the other end of the spectrum, however, Louisiana (0.00), Mississippi (0.05), Alabama (0.06), Florida (0.09), and Tennessee (0.15) could be considered the wettest states!Health clubs form a vital part in many lives, and visiting the gym can help you to achieve a positive mindset because of the release of endorphins. These happy hormones help you to overcome mental difficulties and are crucial in maintaining self-care. But what is self-care looking like in relation to fitness for different states?No state takes fitness more seriously than Delaware (1.00), with an average of over 8,200 regulars attending each gym. Quite some way behind, with an index score of 0.27, Utah takes second place, while Hawaii (0.26), Illinois (0.25), and Washington (0.24) make up the top five.Make sure you’re keeping active
As well as the physical health benefits of exercise, such as running, swimming, and visiting the gym, keeping active increases your body’s production of the feel-good hormones, which are responsible for your overall happiness. This is essential in maintaining self-care and improving your mental health.
If you look good, you feel good! An essential element for effective self-care, beauty salons are popular across the nation. But, no more so than in Nevada (1.00), with residents searching more than any other state for the nearest beautician. Clearly, then, people living here consider why self-care is important regularly.With index scores of 0.72 and 0.62, New Jersey and neighboring New York, respectively, take second and third, while overall index leader California (0.62) is joined by Pacific Island state Hawaii (0.61) to complete the top five.Therapy is one of the more obvious forms of self-care, with individuals acquiring professional advice around improving overall wellbeing. Residents of Utah (1.00) search for skilled counselors more than any other state, while Vermont (0.93), West Virginia (0.86), Georgia (0.85), and Virginia (0.81) citizens follow closely to complete the top five. Meanwhile, overall index leader and self-care capital California scores just 0.36 for awareness around therapy.Don’t be afraid to take a day off
Sometimes the best form of self-care is to just relax and recharge. Whether it be practicing regular mindfulness, enjoying a much-deserved spa day, or simply taking a break from the stresses of life, it’s well-documented that relaxation is beneficial for mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Self-care is crucial in maintaining a positive outlook and healthy mental state, with those in California best tuned to looking after themselves. Explore even more expert state-by-state analysis and discover the latest from us.Sometimes the best form of self-care is to just relax and recharge. Whether it be practising regular mindfulness, enjoying a much-deserved spa day, or simply taking a break from the stresses of life, it’s well-documented that relaxation is beneficial for mental, physical, and spiritual health.Self-care is crucial in maintaining a positive outlook and healthy mental state, with our findings proving those in California are best tuned in to looking after themselves. Explore even more expert state-by-state analysis and discover the latest from us over on our blog.
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