What is Self-Care Anyway?: Self-care is taking care of yourself in the way you need. Self-care is recognizing the importance of prioritizing yourself and following through with a method such as talking with a loved one, meditation, reading a book, going for a walk, or even practicing gratitude.
Self-care looks different for everyone and can look different for you each day. Self-care is a necessity for all of us that can help prevent burnout and make you happier and more fulfilled overall. Most self-care is already what you enjoy doing, but labeling it as “this is my self-care today” might help recognize ways you are supporting yourself.
Methods of Self-Care Examples:
Physical Self-Care: Exercise, yoga, regular medical care, healthy lifestyle
Spiritual Self-Care: Religious services or talking with your higher power, gratitude journaling
Emotional Self-Care: Pick up a hobby, establish healthy boundaries, positive affirmations
Social Self-Care: Talk with a loved one, volunteer your time, Trivia night
Mental Self-Care: Journaling, mindfulness or meditation, reading a book
How often should I practice Self-Care?
Daily. Self-care every day is effective and helps promote healthy patterns and routines. Remember, self-care can look different each day and for each person. Check in with yourself and see what type of self-care or support you need in that moment. We all have different schedules each day but if you can spend at least 20-30 minutes daily this can help lead to stress reduction. If you can’t spend 20-30 minutes in self-care even just a few minutes each day incorporating journaling, positive affirmations, deep breathing, or mindfulness can still help.
Here is a resource that I love that helps with a check-in for self-care. You can utilize this to see what types of self-care you tend to gravitate towards and which you don’t. Not only can this help to see what you like and what works for you, but help you see aspects you want to try or include more often.
https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/self-care-assessment
Alexandria Smith, MA, LCPC, NCC