What is Self-Care?
Self-care is often misunderstood by many people. Essentially, the term describes a conscious act a person does in order to promote their own physical, mental, psychological and emotional well-being. Self-care can take many forms right from emotional and spiritual to mental and social.
Unfortunately, in today’s modern world many people view self-care as a luxury, rather than a priority. However, self-care should be considered as a priority for oneself. Going to a spa or lighting scented candles cannot really be considered as acts of self-care. These ideas are only promoted by today’s economical society to get you to buy certain products from the market.
Some things which can be considered as authentic self-care are –
#1 Building healthier boundaries-
Emotional, mental or physical boundaries create a space between you and another person. Without boundaries, we run the risk of “losing ourselves”—we don’t know how we feel, what we’re interested in, or what we want. We let other people make decisions for us, let them sit in the driving seat. We give and give without receiving anything in return. We also run the risk of being manipulated, used, and abused because we aren’t putting any limits on how others can treat us. We may also unknowingly breach other people’s boundaries.
Hence, it is important for us to know when and how to maintain certain boundaries with others.
#2 Practising Meditation-
Meditation is a very healthy form of self-care. It allows us to be mindful and away from daily stressors to be in the present moment.
Meditation helps us to introspect and see what is going on in our mind and heart. Meditation has great powers and abilities to reduce stress and anxiety and help us think more clearly if practised on a regular basis.
Seeking professional help is an important way of caring for yourself if you are suffering from a problem that needs regular attention. Indirectly, therapy is also a self-care practice. Regular therapy has many benefits and it can unfold many more unknown aspects of a person’s life than one knew. Hence, it is important that one should attend regular therapy sessions as much as possible to get to know themselves better and lead a happy fulfilled life.
#4 Learning Assertiveness skills-
Assertiveness is an act of self-care and self-compassion. It can help you control stress and learn healthier coping mechanisms by expressing yourself freely and standing up for what you believe is right.
People also develop different styles of assertive communication which can help in handling different difficult situations.
Behaving assertively can help you:
- Gain self-confidence and self-esteem
- Understand and recognize your feelings
- Earn respect from others
- Improve communication
- Improve your decision-making skills
- Create honest relationships
This is a very important act of self-care to lead a healthy life and hence should be used regularly.
#5 Physical Health-
Regular exercising can have many benefits and improve one’s physical health. Exercising makes one feel good. Physical exercise helps in stimulating brain chemicals. It can help in promoting one’s body image thus boosting self-confidence. It also leads to better sleep and is especially helpful in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Physical exercise can be made fun in many ways so as to not find it boring and monotonous. This then becomes a form of physical self-care which should be done regularly to achieve these benefits.
#6 Good Diet-
Maintaining a good and well-balanced diet is imperative for taking care of yourself. Nutrition is the foundation of good health. Good nutrition plays a vital role in your ability to have good health. If you’re looking for a place to start with self-care, consider starting by changing the way you think about food and nutrition. This along with regular exercise are physical acts of self-care and can go a long way in helping you care for yourself.
#7 Pursuing Hobbies-
It is important for you to make time to pursue some activities that you like doing and take your mind off distressing thoughts for a while.
Whether you’re into practicing something creative, looking for a relaxing activity, or looking to step outside your comfort zone, having go-to hobbies as part of your self-care routine can help to enhance your self-esteem, boost your mood, and add more enjoyment to your life.
Everyone’s self-care plan is different depending on what the demands of their daily life are. The bottom line here is that self-care isn’t a one size fits all strategy. Your self-care plan will need to be customized to your needs and what is currently going on in your life. The goal is to take steps each day to make sure that you are getting what you need to deal with the stress and challenges you face in your daily life.
Fill the fuel tank today if you want to be up and about tomorrow!
- Dorociak KE, Rupert PA, Bryant FB, Zahniser E. Development of a self-care assessment for psychologists. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2017;64(3):325-334. doi:10.1037/cou0000206 https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000206