Self Care

What is Self Care? By definition Oxford Dictonary describes Self Care as “the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health”. But what does that really mean?

Like anything this is open to interpretation and will differ from person to person. Social media would have us believe that self care is taking a bath, going for a facial and buying ourselves some new gym gear. And, although these CAN be considered ways of looking after ourselves I believe these are quick fixes to a much deeper rooted belief.

Lets begin by breaking it down into the ‘7 pillars of self care’

[Source: “The 7 Pillars of Self-Care (And How To Use Them)“ by The Blissful Mind]

1. Mental - Creating a healthy mindset through connecting to the present, mindfulness and curiosity and stimulation, challenge and much more. This could be done through lots of methods such as journalling, meditation, less screen time, taking up a new hobbie, volunteering for a more challenging project at work. Ask yourself what you could benefit from either adding or subtracting from your life that could help your own mental health? What is it you need? More peace and quiet, more challenge, more fun? Can you ask for help from anyone? Can you delegate some of your tasks? Daily journalling your thoughts and using CBT technqiues to challenge thoughts can be very helpful (linked below) as well as gratitude journalling and jotting down your thoughts daily.

   - Using your 5 senses (notice your surroundings and what you can hear, see, taste, touch and smell around you can be very grounding and bring you back into a present moment)

   - CBT thought record worksheet

   - Journal prompts

   - Self Worth Meditation and Self Love Meditation

2. Emotional - We want to create healthy strategies and skills that can help us when emotions begin to shift. Stresses and challenges are inevitable, but how can we better prepare for them so they aren’t as catastrophic? Perhaps asking for help, medication or speaking to a professional could benefit us and help us learn coping techniques? Or maybe taking time to yourself to recharge, stepping away from a stressful situation to level yourself, setting boundaries, affirmations, journalling or breathwork. I’ve listed some helpful resources below for additional techniques to help self soothe and regulate emotions that i’ve found helpful.

   - Wim Hof Breathing

   - Tapping

   - Shaking

3. Physical - Your physical health is huge when it comes to caring for yourself. This doesn’t have to mean sweating over a treadmill either. Taking the time to look after your body through adequate sleep and rest, nuturing yourself with good wholesome foods, and getting in some movement should be a priority. Eating meals at regular times, hydrating your body and keeping up good personal hygeine are all important ways we can look after ourselves. You are worthy of a healthy body! When we are in a lower mood or mindset this can be one of the areas that is impacted most. Remember that what your body really needs in these times of need is MORE love, not less. Use this time to replenish your body with good food, water and rest. Learning to respect your physical body can be one of the most impactful things you do to help your entire wellbeing.

   - Restorative Yoga videos

   - Touch meditation

4. Environmental - Taking care of the space around you whether this is your immediate space around you like your desk at work, your home, your car or further afield looking at your local park or footpaths you often walk. Could these areas benefit from some form of change? Do you need to declutter or re-organise? Begin a new routine or maybe you could benefit from getting outside of your environment more?

5. Spiritual - It’s not for all of us, but having a practice that gives us a sense of meaning can be a great place to start in finding ways we can look after ourselves better. Whether you follow a religion, enjoy time in nature or maybe you are part of a larger community? Can you find values or morals that are important to you? Once you establish what is important to you can then begin to shape the other pillars in a way that will serve your core values. Take a moment to think about what you would like to live by? Is it to be a kind and caring person? To give back where you can? To help others? How can you like to make a difference?

6. Recreational - So if we spend 8 hours asleep, and 8 hours in work, how do you spend the remaining 8? It’s important for our sense of self to have hobbies and interests that WE are interested in. Something we can really throw ourselves into, that we can invest in our own time to enjoy. There is nothing that screams self care more to me than deciding to take control of your own time and dedicate that to doing something YOU want to do and being strict with that. This could be anything from spending time with family or friends, dancing, going to the gym, reading or cooking. There is a hobbie out there for everyone. Take a moment to think about things that would bring you joy. Did you enjoy a sport in school you’d love to pick back up? Is there a local reading group you could join? Or could you pick a day in the week to try cooking a new recipe? Find what makes you feel good and set a firm promise in place to make the time to do these things.

7. Social - Depending on your personality type this may be more or less important to you. However relationships are part of our human make up and we all benefit from building meaningful relationships and feeling part of a bigger picture. Is there a friend you know you haven’t reached out to in a while? Could you call a relative more often? Could you go into your office once a week? It’s no secret that the older we get the harder it becomes to make new friends, but you aren’t alone. If you are wanting to make new friendships then so is somebody else.

   On the flip side of this, make sure those you are investing your time and energy with aren’t draining you entirely. Healthy boundaries need to be in place and letting go of old relationships that no longer serve you is Self Care too. Quality over Quantity when it comes to our circle is vital, make sure who you spend your time with is adding value.

Take the time to sit and ask yourself what you can add in or take away from each of these areas. Remember that you are the most important person in your life. It isn’t selfish to put yourself and your own needs and desires first. That you have the ability to change or alter anything that isn’t serving you or your energy and that you are in control. You get to decide. Isn’t that an empowering thought?

Much Love,

Sara