Self-care is an essential part of life, and it’s not just about having a spa day or taking some time out. It’s about ensuring you’re doing everything you can to take care of yourself to face the daily demands of your life.
Self-care can be as simple as taking five minutes out of your day to do something you enjoy, or it can mean planning ahead for stressful events to have a strategy in place when they occur. It is important to understand the importance of self care and how it can benefit your life and the lives of the people around you.
When you invest in yourself, not only will you feel better and perform at a higher level—you’ll also reap the benefits of greater health, happiness, and productivity.
- Self-care makes you feel better. It’s hard to be your best self when you’re stressed out all the time. Taking care of yourself is one way of managing stress that can help prevent negative consequences like illness, poor performance at work or trouble in relationships.
- Self-care helps you feel like you have control over your life. We tend to feel most in control of our lives when we act based on what is good for us, rather than simply going along with whatever happens around us. When you have a self-care routine in place, you can better control how you respond to the environment around you
- Self-care helps balance out our lives so that we can enjoy the things that are important to us. It’s hard to feel balanced when you’re always putting everyone else first and neglecting yourself.
Your self-care strategy should be unique to you
Everyone approaches self-care in a different way – and that’s okay! It all depends on your lifestyle, and what matters most to you.
For many people, certain things tend to be helpful regardless of the situation. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas for your own self-care routine, here are questions to ask yourself
- What makes me feel good? Listing out these things will give you an idea of what kinds of activities bring you joy—and can help guide your search for what kind of self-care works best for you. It also helps keep your focus on yourself, so that other people don’t have too much influence over how you’re spending your time.
- What helps me feel calm and relaxed? This one might seem pretty obvious, but sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves by relaxing our bodies when they need it most. This could be a hot bath before bed or taking a walk out in nature
- What helps me feel energized and motivated? When you’re feeling down and out, it can be hard to find the energy to take care of yourself. But by identifying what kinds of activities boost your energy levels, you’ll have a better idea of how to keep them up when things get rough.
Why you shouldn't feel guilty about self-care?
It’s no secret that most of us don’t take enough time out for self-care. It can feel like a luxury, something that can be put off until later, when we’re more “stable” or “organized.” But If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you expect to perform at your best?
Self-care is an essential part of life, like eating healthy food or exercising regularly. To reap the rewards it offers (like physical and mental well being), you have to make a commitment to your self-care routine and learn to not feel guilty about it.
Self-Care is not selfish
Self-care can be a complicated subject. It’s easy to feel guilty about taking time for yourself when there are so many things you’re supposed to do, and people who need you. But self-care is not selfish! In fact, in order for you to probably take of other people you need to take of yourself first.
It’s true that self-care often involves doing something nice for your physical appearance getting a massage or painting your nails—but it also means making sure you have time for mental and emotional health too. It is so easy to be taken over by unhealthy choices that cause you to feel why emotionally drained or physically tired all the time. But if you take time to take care of yourself, you will be able to avoid the unhealthy habits that can take over your life.
Self-care is about being there for other people
The truth is, you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first. I’m sure you have heard the famous saying” you can’t pour from an empty cup” it’s because you can’t give what you don’t have. If you are not healthy and happy in your own life, then it will be difficult for anyone else to be safe with you or feel comfortable opening up to you.
If we want our loved ones to feel secure enough around us that they’ll share their problems and concerns with us, wouldn’t it make more sense for us to model behavior that makes them feel safe? If you are always so tired and worn out you will never be able to truly give you best self to the people you care about.
Self-care can be free
Self-care doesn’t have to cost money. Oftentimes, when we think of self-care, we think of getting a massage or going on a spa date with our partner.
But there are countless ways to practice self-care that don’t involve spending any money:
- Taking a walk in nature
- Meditating for ten minutes in the morning before you start your day
- Preparing a healthy meal instead of ordering takeout
- Playing with your kids/grandkids, nieces or nephews
- Meeting up with friends for quality social time
Remember, The first rule of self-care is that it’s for you, not for anyone else. Self-care is not about making others do things your way. In fact, it’s the opposite: taking care of yourself means knowing your limits and having the confidence to say no when something doesn’t work in the best interest of your well-being.
It’s about learning how to take care of yourself and understand what you need so that you can have better relationships with people and the people in your life which also includes yourself. The following 9 pillars of self-care are things we can do every day to make sure our needs are met and we feel good!
What are the 9 Pillars of Self-care
1.Emotional
Emotional self-care refers to taking care of emotions in healthy ways. It includes paying attention to your feelings and allowing yourself time to feel them, Instead of avoiding or blocking out emotions.
Emotional self-care means we recognize how we are feeling and understand why we feel the way we do by:
- Being present with emotion instead of running from it
- Noticing what you are feeling without judgment or criticism
- Being open about how you feel and not ashamed about showing how you feel
- Treating yourself with respect and compassion when you feel a negative emotional
2. Physical
Physical self-care involves making an effort to maintain a healthy body and mind in order to feel like our best selves. When we’re feeling unhappy or unworthy, it can be difficult to treat ourselves well since we are operating on a low vibrational level
But there are ways to raise your vibration and maintain a healthy body and mind.
- Regular Exercise. Even if you’re not into fitness, it’s important to get at least 30 minutes of activity each day.
- Healthy Eating. It’s important to make sure you’re eating balanced meals that include all of the food groups (fruits, veggies, protein, and grains).and avoiding highly processed food.
- Regular Sleep Schedule. Sleep is essential for mental health; try going to bed and getting up at the same time every day so you can get enough restorative sleep each night.
- Daily Hygiene Routine (pamper yourself). create a relaxing morning and nightly hygiene routine. ( skincare, relaxing bath, facials)
3. Intellectual
Intellectual self-care is often an overlooked tool in a person’s self-care routine. The human mind is designed to keep on learning and exploring the world around us. There have been numerous studies done on how learning can improve people’s mood and overall happiness in life.
Related: Learning is a sure path to happiness: Science proves it
Learning is not about going to school and getting a degree, learning is about exploring your own mind, learning new things, and expanding the way you think. You can do this in a variety of ways:
- Read books, listen to podcasts, or watch documentaries that open your mind to new ways of thinking
- Take a class on something that interests you—like writing or photography.
- Learn new skills—maybe you’ve always wanted to be able to play an instrument or speak another language. With today’s technology and resources available online, it’s never been easier!
- Explore new hobbies: whether it’s knitting or painting), find something that appeals to your interests
4. Spiritual
Spiritual self-care is essential since it helps you feel grounded and connected to something larger than yourself. When you have a strong spiritual practice It gives you a sense of calmness that helps you cope with stressors when they arise.
Spirituality is different for everyone and can take on the many forms such as
- Attending religious services (such as going to church)
- Meditating or doing yoga/tai chi/qi gong/pranayama exercises
- Praying
- writing in a reflection journal
- Taking a long walk in nature
Related: Spiritual Health- 3 Ways To Be More Emotionally Spiritually Healthy
5. Social
self-care is more than just looking after your internal needs it’s also about building healthy relationships with the people in your life. It’s so easy to get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget how important it is to spend time with others, whether they’re family, friends, or even people we don’t know very well.
In order to make sure you have time for social connection (and not just be alone all the time), you need to make some space in your schedule. That might mean leaving work a little early one day or spending less time on social media when you know you have plans later on with friends.
Whether it’s by yourself or with online friends, make sure you’re blocking out enough time throughout the week to spend quality time with the people you care about.
Related: Quality over Quantity. The 9 Types of Friendships All Women Should Have
6. Creative
Creativity is an essential part of self-care since It’s one of the most common ways people express themselves. Creativity can take many different forms, but it all has the same purpose, to help you feel connected to your inner world and be able to express yourself authentically to the outer world
Some examples of creative self-care include:
- Writing poetry or songs
- Drawing or painting
- Building models, puzzles, or other creations
- Playing music on an instrument
- Taking photographs
- Cooking
Through the creative process, you may find that whatever stress or negative emotions will start to subside the more focused you become on the task at hand. Being creative is more than just having a hobby, it’s a way to distract the mind and let it take a break from everything you have to focus on throughout the day.
7. Nourishment
Nourishment is one of the most important pillars of self-care. In order to be healthy, you need to eat healthily. Your body needs food to fuel itself and make sure all your bodily functions are functioning properly.
The food we consume can either gives us the energy we need to get through our day or it can deplete our energy. Depending on the nutrients we feed into our bodies it will either fuel our cells or force our energy reserves to digest the unhealthy food we feed it.
Why you should nourish your body:
It provides essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, protein, and carbohydrates that help maintain basic body functions like digestion, blood circulation, and muscle growth
Eating certain foods can help improve your mood if they contain ingredients such as tryptophan (found in turkey) or magnesium (found in avocados)
8. Boundaries
Boundaries are a set of personal rules that govern your life. These can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be, but they help you to stay focused on what’s important to you and keep the things that pull against you at bay.
Related: Why Are Emotional Boundaries Important? The 3 Ways To Define Your Emotional Boundaries
Setting boundaries is about knowing what you will and won’t accept in any given situation and communicating those limits clearly (and often). When others don’t respect those boundaries, it’s up to us to enforce them. Setting strong personal boundaries can be hard but remember boundaries will protect our minds from being overwhelmed by stress, burnout, or constant demands on our time—all of which can lead to chronic anxiety or even depression.
9. Sleep
Sleeping is the most important pillar of self-care because without sleep the mind will be too tired to fight against all obstacles in your way.
Sleeping well has been linked to improved memory, higher energy levels, better concentration, and a stronger immune system.
If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body may feel tired during the day. You might have trouble concentrating or remembering things. You might feel irritable or depressed. It can be hard to get through a workout or even enjoy being outside in nature when you’re tired all the time!
If you are having trouble sticking to s sleep cycle here are some simple steps you can take to :
- Go to bed at the same time every night, and try to wake up at the same time each morning. This will help your body get used to a routine.
- Avoid using electronics in bed. The light from your phone or tablet can keep you awake if you use them right before going to sleep.
- Get some exercise during the day, but not within three hours of bedtime.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. Try using eye shades or earplugs if it’s hard for you to sleep in complete darkness. You may also want to consider investing in a humidifier or white noise machine.
These 7 Pillars of self-care will allow you to live a happier, more balanced life.
It can be easy to think of self-care as selfish. But it’s not. In fact, self-care is important for everyone, especially if you want to live a happier, more balanced life.
Self-care is an essential part of wellness. By prioritizing self-care, you can help yourself live a more fulfilling life with less stress and more joy. There are many different ways to practice self-care, but the following nine pillars represent some of the most important practices that can help you better care for yourself:
