What Do We Mean By Self-Care?
Self-care is just what it sounds like – taking care of yourself.
Self-care is the action of consciously doing things that support or improve your mental or physical health. It is the choice to do something that looks after you and your wellbeing. So, self-care should improve the way you feel in body and mind.
How do I practice self-care?
You can’t give only one answer, because self-care is different for everyone. As it is about looking after yourself mentally and physically, and everyone has different needs.
Anything you do for yourself that makes yourself feel better or cared for can be considered self-care. This could be making sure to exercise regularly, it could be taking rest when you need it, it could be getting a new haircut or massage.
There are couple of ideas for you:
- Go to bed on time and have a good night’s sleep
- Don’t forget to drink lots of water
- Go for a walk and stop for nice warm drink
- Take a relaxing bath with some salts and oils
- Say “no” to something you don’t want to do right now
- Make something healthy yet delicious for dinner
- Take 15-20 minutes time for relaxation or meditation practise
- Get cosy on the sofa with a favourite magazine
- Make a list of five or more things you like about yourself
- Spend time with loved ones
Why is self-care important?
Our lives get increasingly busy and it can be easy to forget to put yourself first, especially if you have multiple responsibilities and other people to care for. But looking after yourself will make you feel better, and the better you feel, the better you will be in all areas of your life – from work to relationships.
What are the benefits of self-care?
- Self-care can improve your physical health
A big part of self-care is committing to looking after your body and becoming more attuned with its needs. Whether it’s brushing your teeth, exercising more or getting enough sleep each night, part of any programme of self-care should focus on looking after your physical health.
- Self-care can reduce stress and anxiety
Making time for relaxing activities, such as taking a warm bath, listening to music or practising yoga or meditation, is another common theme of self-care.
- Self-care can boost your self-esteem
As well as helping to calm your nerves, taking time to relax and look after yourself can have a positive impact on the way you see yourself: treating yourself with kindness can make you look upon yourself more kindly.
- Self-care protects your mental health
Making changes to prioritise self-care can help to manage mental health issues and might even prevent them from getting worse.
- Self-care can lead to better relationships
It makes sense if you think about it: the happier and healthier you are, the more you can give to a relationship.
This is especially important if you are a parent or carer. It can be so easy to put someone else’s needs first, but you must look after your own health too.
Some of my thoughts around the topic are:
- Don’t feel guilt or don’t hide it – be assertive about your needs and learn a way to communicate them, especially with your closest family members
- Don’t wait until you felt exhausted, frustrated or irritable – do your self-care practise regularly, incorporating it in daily and weekly routines
- Also encourage people around you to take care of themselves – being a role model is the best way.
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