Elusive Self-Care

Let’s talk about self-care…

Although self-care is immensely important to maintaining good mental health, it can be elusive. As our society and social media have gravitated towards the “wellness” movement, real and attainable self-care practices have become increasingly difficult to learn and implement into our daily lives. It isn’t always as easy, or aesthetic, as lighting a candle, taking a bubble bath, or “treating yo self” to a fancy latte. It can be difficult to know where to begin!
It’s important to remember that self-care looks different for everyone depending on your needs and what works for you. Creating a self-care wheel of life might be a helpful start to getting an idea of what is important to you, and what is helpful for your mental health (in other words, what makes you feel good and increases those happy, stress-relieving chemicals in your brain). Complete a wheel of life here: https://wheeloflife.noomii.com/

Psychological self-care has to do with learning, thinking, and growing. It can look like improving yourself personally or professionally. Some ideas for this type of self-care are below:
-Making time for self-reflection (take a few minutes of quiet time at the beginning or end of your day to process the events of the day)
-Reading for pleasure (fiction, romance, sci-fi, whatever you like!)
-Write out your thoughts and feelings in a journal (set a timer for 5 minutes and let the words flow!)
-Say "no" to extra responsibilities when your plate is full (“No” can be a complete sentence.)
Emotional self-care involves gaining an awareness of your feelings, identifying how you feel, and channeling that into something productive or overall beneficial for your life. Some examples of this include:
-Spending time with people whose company you enjoy (friends, family, coworkers).
-Give yourself affirmations and praise (even a simple “Good job, self!” or “I’m proud of me today for …” to start)
-Find things that make you laugh (funny TikToks, Instagram reels perhaps)
-Re-read favorite books, re-watch favorite movies or TV shows
Spiritual self-care involves anything that helps develop and maintain a deeper sense of meaning and understanding in your life, nourishing your inner self. This could include:
-Spending time with nature (a quick walk outside or riding a bike)
-Cherish your optimism and hope
-Find a spiritual connection or community (this can be religious or other forms of community like music festivals with friends or giving back to your community through volunteer work)
-Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life
-Meditate, pray, sing
Physical self-care involves basic nutrition, hydration, and exercise. Some ideas are below:
-Eating regularly and eating healthy meals
-Exercise
-Medical care for prevention and when needed
-Get enough sleep
Financial & Security self-care is more than money, math, and making sure to pay your taxes. It involves creating a life you love for yourself (and your family) by making decisions that make the most sense for yourself and your future. This could include:
-Meeting with a financial advisor
-Creating a budget and be in tune with it
-Setting financial goals
-Cancelling unused subscriptions
-Investing in yourself (education, professional development, certificates, etc.)
Social & Relational self-care involves how you manage relationships and the role they play in your life, positive or negative. Ideas could include:
-Maintain healthy boundaries with friends, family members, colleagues, and bosses
-Communicating your needs with loved ones
-Spending time with people who you enjoy and feel safe around
-Staying in contact with important people in your life
Mental & Cognitive self-care includes things that take care of your mind and allow you to better understand yourself. This can look like:
-Taking time to learn new things/hobbies
-Engaging in activities that you are not in charge of or an expert in (give yourself a break of being the one in charge)
-Going to your own therapy
-Paying attention to how you think of yourself and others

A combination of these and other self-care practices can be key to developing and maintaining your overall well-being.