Learning to Practice Self-Care
September is Self-Care Awareness Month. Nowadays, we hear about self-care all of the time. Doing things like facial masks, going to the gym, being outside, etc., but do we fully understand what it means to practice self-care?
Self-care, in its simplest form, is how you take care of yourself.
It feels very literal, but it is the truth. Self-care is just all of the ways a person can take care of themself and there are many different ways. When truly implementing self-care into your life, it is important to take into consideration three major areas: your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Taking all of these things into consideration helps create a holistic self-care plan to take care of your whole self!
What are the different types of self-care?
When we are thinking about your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, we need to think about different types of self-care. There are 8 different types of self-care: physical, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, recreational, and financial/practical. Here is a list of these different types of self-care and some ways to implement them into your self-care routine:
Physical Self-Care: this involves doing activities that improve your physical health. Examples of this can be: getting regular sleep, staying hydrated, stretching, eating a healthy meal, taking a shower or bath, engaging in exercise or movement, or reducing alcohol consumption.
Emotional Self-Care: this involves doing activities that help you connect with and process your emotions. Examples of this can include: writing in a journal, seeing a therapist, listening to music, talking to a friend, listening to a podcast, reading a book, or taking a break at work.
Social Self-Care: this involves your relationships with others and how we engage with others. Examples of this are: planning quality time with others, keeping in touch with your loved ones, taking time to disconnect from social media, volunteering, engaging in social hobbies, or connecting with others in your community.
Professional Self-Care: this involves your well-being in your workplace. Some examples can be: keeping your work and personal life separate, taking breaks throughout the day, staying organized, evaluating your work load, setting boundaries, practicing effective communication, or establishing an effective work routine.
Environmental Self-Care: this involves focusing on and maintaining your personal environment and it can extend to your community and global environment as well. Examples of this can be: taking a walk outside, decluttering your personal space, moving your desk to a space with natural light, cleaning up before bed, exploring new places, rearranging your furniture, or changing your bedsheets and making your bed.
Spiritual Self-Care: this involves connecting with things that are meaningful to you, but it does not necessarily have to do with religion. Some examples are: meditating, deep breathing, sharing your beliefs with others, journaling about your beliefs, praying or connecting with your faith, practicing yoga, or volunteering with a group who share your beliefs.
Recreational Self-Care: this involves making time for fun and doing activities that are interesting and engaging. Examples of this can be: playing games or doing puzzles, making time for your hobbies/interests, watching your favorite movies or television shows, reading books or magazines, being creative through art, spending the day pampering yourself, or spending time traveling by yourself or with others.
Financial/Practical Self-Care: this involves taking care of yourself in a way that makes you feel organized and supported. Examples of this include: writing positive financial affirmations for yourself, setting up financial goals for yourself, creating simple rituals or routines, meeting with a financial advisor, organizing your email or physical mail, planning or tackling your debt, or learning about financial news or current events.
Self-care does not need to be perfect.
An important component to practicing self-care is setting appropriate and realistic goals for yourself. When we start with the goal of having our highest hopes for ourselves in regards to our self-care, it can often feel like we are setting ourselves up for failure. It makes sense that you are eager for change and that you want to see your health improve, but by setting goals that are realistic for our current circumstances and then adjusting our goals as we progress, we create more sustainable life habits.
There are a lot of different ways to practice self-care and it can feel overwhelming with figuring out where to start. The therapists here at Be Kind Counseling offer comprehensive therapy to help guide you in your mental health journey, which can include how you practice self-care. If you are interested in connecting with a therapist and discussing self-care and how it can affect your mental health, you can book a 20-minute consultation with us here.
