The 7 Unexpected Ways To Take Care Of Yourself That You Never Think To Do

The older I get, the more anxious I become.

I know. Sucks.

Anxiety can be a real buzzkill and take a toll on your relationships, libido and romantic life.

But I've learned I need to take care of numero uno (*cough myself cough*) before I can make others happy, and I've spent the past year practicing self-care in areas of my life I usually ignore.

So here are a few ways to take care of yourself in ways you might never think of that have big payoff:

Book your annual gyno appointment.

Nothing says, "I love my body," like letting a doctor probe you with cold metal to make sure your reproductive organs are feeling great and looking fine.

I'm kidding, but not really.

Though women may dread this day for loads of reasons, it's way better to bite the bullet and get it done. A few minutes of feeling some pressure as opposed to a lifetime of health issues should be a no-brainer.

If you don't have a regular lady doctor, clinics like Planned Parenthood offer great, affordable options in women's health!

Clean up your desktop.

Wouldn't it be, like, amazing, if everything on your computer just sat in a designated folder in an orderly fashion to the right or the left of your amazing desktop background?

I'm THE WORST at this. My desktop looks like that wall Carrie made about the bad guys when she had her mental breakdown in "Homeland."

What I'm saying is, take an afternoon to yourself, play some music, make a pot of coffee and organize that shit, girl. It will give you mental AND physical space.

Update your iTunes.

While you're busy organizing your desktop, listen to one of your long-lost playlists.

Do you REALLY need Sean Paul's "Temperature" on there anymore?

Updating your music library is time consuming but WORTH it in the long run. Plus, having tunes you actually want to listen to at your finger tips will radically improve any commutes, study sessions or evenings in you might have.

Throw out all your old underwear and by some damn new ones.

It's incredible what a little, sexy secret will do for someone's attitude.

I'm so guilty of hanging onto panties longgggg past their elastic-band due date. Trust me, you're only hurting yourself keeping these pairs in your rotation.

Take some time to toss anything torn, stretched or — dare I say — stained, and set some money aside to pick up some new ones.

You'll walk around with some extra pep in your step and some lace in your pants.

Catalogue your photos and PRINT THEM.

I keep telling everybody, one day, Armageddon is going to come, and when it does, we are going to lose every photo we ever took, put on Facebook or saved on our phones. Then, all we'll be left with is the baby album our parents kept for us.

PRINT. YOUR. PHOTOS. THOSE. ARE. MEMORIES. PROTECT. THEM.

Precook your meals for the week.

I actually hate this piece of advice because it's pretentious and assuming. Like, what? We all just have all the kitchen space in the world and the cars to drive around to the grocery store and none of the flights of stairs to walk up?

BUT, it is actually pretty good advice.

If you can get into the routine of prepping your meals at the beginning of the week, you'll be totally shocked at how much time and MONEY you save on lunches out and Seamless in.

Invest in a Crock-Pot, and, like, do your best.

Stop hitting the snooze button.

This is the most honest thing I will ever write, and it's on the internet, so you know it's forever. Here are the top three things I love in order of importance to me: sleep, my family and my dog.

I just don't believe I could even have the last two without the first one, you know what I mean?

Unfortunately, that makes me a big time SNOOZER in the mornings, which is, apparently, terrible for sleep.

By stopping and starting our sleep, we are actually screwing up our natural sleep cycles, leaving us feeling groggy and irritable.

So if you can get up the first time that alarm goes off, trust me you'll (annoyingly and begrudgingly) thank yourself.

While a lot of these things might seem like something ain't nobody got time for, you'll thank me in the end.

Now, if only I could find where I saved my to-do list on my desktop, I could get cracking...