When was the last time you took some time out of your busy life to practice some serious self-care?
If you’re often stressed or lacking energy, this is your sign that it’s time for some well-deserved R&R.
Read on to discover tips for nurturing each area of your wellbeing, including the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
What is self-care and why is it important?
Self-care is caring for ourselves by nurturing and enriching the various areas of our lives that contribute to our wellbeing so that we can show up as our best selves every day.
Self-care should be a non-negotiable priority you take pride in fulfilling – it shouldn’t make you feel guilty or selfish. No matter how busy your life or how many children are demanding your attention at home, if you don’t fill your own cup first, you’ll be limited in what you can give to others.
Self-care is health care. It reduces stress, creates happiness, and builds resilience and strength.
Self-Care Tips for Each Area of Your Life
While our physical health is a significant factor affecting our overall health, wellbeing is achieved by also caring for the other areas of our being – the emotional, mental, and spiritual components of our wellbeing are just as important as the physical.
Physical self-care
Physical self-care includes core needs such as eating, sleeping, and hydration, but it can also extend to pleasurable things like a relaxing bath or facial at the Spa. When we neglect our body’s needs, it shows up as fatigue, burnout, or leads to serious disease and illness. Many of the activities you practice for physical self-care benefit all the other areas of your life and wellbeing too.
Here are some ways to practice physical self-care:
1. Start your day with a stretch
2. Dance to your favorite playlist
3. Take a walk
4. Join a fitness class or sports league
5. Get a massage
6. Indulge in a bubble bath
7. Pamper yourself at the Spa or at home
8. Take a nap
9. Drink plenty of water
10. Eat nutritious foods and avoid the not so good for you foods
Emotional self-care
Emotional self-care allows you the time and a safe space to process through emotions you’re experiencing. It’s common for some to set their emotions aside and power through life, but if we don’t take the time to untangle what we feel, it can result in built-up emotions and stress. Practicing emotional self-care is like hitting the reset button, inviting us back to the present.
Here are some ways to practice emotional self-care:
1. Journaling
2. Speak to a therapist or coach
3. Unfollow social media accounts that bring up negative emotions in you
4. Do something that makes you happy
5. Confide in a friend or loved one
6. Challenge negative thoughts and feelings
7. Sit and acknowledge your feelings instead of avoiding them
8. Calming breathing exercises
9. Play
10. Listen to music
Mental self-care
Mental self-care could involve activities designed to sharpen and challenge your mind and those intended to protect your peace of mind. Mental self-care can help cultivate a more positive relationship between yourself and your mind.
Here are some ways to practice mental self-care:
1. Set boundaries with yourself and others, then work to enforce them
2. Avoid toxic people
3. Repeat positive affirmations to challenge your negative thinking
4. Learn to say “no’
5. Do nothing at all
6. Get creative
7. Challenge yourself with a puzzle or brain game
8. Read a book
9. Try a new hobby
10. Plan and organize your week/day
Spiritual self-care
While the definition of spirituality may vary for each of us, one thing it has in common no matter what you practice is a connectedness to ourselves, our lives and community, or something greater than ourselves. When we practice spiritual self-care, we feel invigorated, energized, and aligned with our true selves and purpose.
Here are some ways to practice spiritual self-care:
1. Pray or attend a worship service
2. Spend time in nature
3. Practice gratitude
4. Yoga
5. Meditation
6. Volunteer
7. Listen to a podcast that nurtures spirituality
8. Clear the energy in your space by smudging sage and other herbs
9. Practice forgiveness
10. Read an inspiring book
Develop a Self-Care Routine
Now that you’ve learned how to practice self-care to benefit and uplift each area of your life, it’s time to develop a self-care plan.
Try to pick at least one activity for each area and commit to practicing them daily or at least weekly. Go the extra step and schedule self-care time into your calendar or planner, so you don’t forget or get tempted to push it to later.
Before choosing which self-care activities to incorporate into your life, check in with yourself and your needs. Which areas of your wellbeing have you been neglecting the most? Or which area needs the most support right now? What stressors do you need to manage better?
Of course, choosing activities you’re personally drawn to is important so you feel engaged and motivated to keep practicing them.
If, logistically speaking, you can’t afford to set aside 30 minutes or an hour each day for a self-care routine, consider how you can incorporate these activities into some of the shorter pockets of time you have throughout the day. For example, you can listen to an inspirational podcast on your commute to work or practice a 10-minute meditation during your lunch break. If you can aim to do even just one self-care activity per day, it’s a great place to start.
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