Does self-care ever feel like another thing on your to-do list?
Are you tired of hearing the word self-care yet? I’ve talk about it before and I preach it to my clients constantly. Even though this topic is everywhere, it’s important to retreat from the culture of being busy and realizing that finding time for ourselves is vital to living a happy and fulfilling life.
Maybe you desperately need self-care, but you’re never sure exactly how to make it happen. This leads to a quick Google search for “self-care ideas” which can quickly lead to a feeling of overwhelm with the million suggestions that are given.
Today, I’m going to break down the meaning of self-care, why it’s important and tell you about the different dimensions involved with self-care and give you tons of practical ideas that you can start incorporating into your self-care regimen.
So What Is Self-Care?
By definition, self-care is activities and practices that we engage in on a regular basis to help us reduce stress and enhance our well-being. When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.
These are practices we need to schedule into our days often, rather than just once in a while. Ultimately, self-care is about finding something that you can do regularly to make you feel comfortable, relaxed and nourished.
What’s also important to note is that there are so many different ways to take care of yourself. While certain practices may work for others, you may find that they don’t work for you. There are 7 pillars of self-care which lead to a lot of options and the ability to find ways to incorporate self-care into your daily life in a way that works for you.
The Seven Dimensions of Self-Care
There are seven different dimensions that are important to consider when it comes to self-care: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational and social. Incorporating activities from each of these dimensions into your life ensures that you’ll be nourishing every aspect in your life and ultimately getting better at taking care of yourself.
Let’s take a look into these different dimensions by explaining what they are and how they can benefit you, as well as giving examples for each dimension so you can begin thinking about which practices you want to incorporate into your life regularly.
Mental
The desire to learn new concepts and expand your knowledge contributes positively to your overall well-being. Mental self-care is about finding the balance between stimulating your mind and giving your mind a break, and this can help with creativity, innovation, and continual learning. I’m a big advocate for personal growth, but I greatly appreciate the opportunity to switch off and let my brain rest for a while.
Examples of Mental Self-Care:
- Taking or teaching a class
- Read a book
- Doing a social media/media detox
- Listening to music
- Practicing mindfulness
- Listen to a TED talk
- Learning a new language (Duolingo is a great way to do this & it’s free)
Emotional
Engaging in emotional self-care dimension helps us understand ourselves more, cope with challenges, manage frustrations and stress better and develop and nourish healthy relationships. When we tend to our emotional needs, we cultivate a greater sense of compassion, kindness, and love for ourselves and others.
Examples of Emotional Self-Care:
- Writing in a gratitude journal
- Establishing boundaries in relationships
- Say “no” more
- Asking for help
- Saying positive affirmations
- Connecting with a friend(s)
- Seeing a therapist
Physical
The physical dimension of self-care encompasses safety, health, nutrition, movement, physical touch, and sexual needs. When you practice activities for your physical well-being, you can increase your energy levels and boost your self-esteem.
Examples of Physical Self-Care:
- Working out
- Eating whole or healthy foods
- Take a nap
- Eating meals at regular times (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
- Drinking more water
- Taking vitamins daily
- Getting 7-8 hours of sleep
- Trying a new workout class or video
- Physical intimacy with your significant other
- Laughing with friends or watching a funny show or movie
Environmental
Environmental self-care simply means designing your environment to work for you. Your environment needs to motivate you rather than overwhelm you and stress you out. It allows you to create the right environment so you can truly thrive.
Examples of Environmental self-care:
- Rearranging your work or living space so that you are more comfortable
- Spending time outdoors
- Appealing to one of your five senses (eating a tasty treat, lighting your favorite scented candle, wrapping up in warm, fuzzy blanket, put on your favorite music, adjust the lighting (add twinkle lights or open up your blinds and let in more light)
- Exploring somewhere new (even in your own town)
- Decluttering your living space
- Appealing to your five senses (e.g. light a candle, adjust the lighting, put on comfortable clothes, sip a warm drink, and put on your favorite playlist)
- Buying yourself flowers
Recreational
Recreational self-care involves taking care of your inner child with hobbies, fun activities, and new experiences. Recreation is important because it lets you get away from the pressure of your to-do list and simply enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer.
Examples of Recreational Self-Care:
- Taking time for hobbies and creative activities
- Going on an adventure by yourself or with others
- Taking time to do absolutely nothing (and enjoying it!)
- Playing board or video games
- Switching up your regular daily routine
Spiritual
Spiritual self-care means to be open to new experiences. It involves nurturing your spirit with nature, music, art or whatever sounds appealing. Look at what’s good in yourself and others. Notice the sacred in and around you. Sure, there’s plenty of bad stuff, but you’ll find greater peace and joy by focusing on the positive.
Examples of Spiritual Self-Care:
- Spending time in nature
- Getting an astrology or tarot card reading
- Identifying your values & what’s meaningful to you
- Volunteering or contributing to a cause you believe in
- Connecting to a higher power (whatever that means to you)
Social
Social self-care means maintaining healthy social connections and boundaries with friends and family. Engaging in this aspect of self-care yields so many emotional and psychological benefits. Social connection helps create a sense of belonging and acceptance which we humans need, and it allows us to create and share a common bond with others. It’s vital for combating loneliness, dealing with stress, and just having fun!
Examples of Social Self-Care:
- Going to a workout class
- Walking with friends
- Volunteer with a group to go to a local food bank or soup kitchen
- Starting a game night with friends or family
- Joining or starting a book club
- Organizing a family dinner
I talk with my clients all the time about self-care and ways of finding options that are relevant to what they like to do and what is realistic for their daily lives. It should be practical, but also
As you can imagine, there are tons of options to choose from for self-care but it is important to look at self-care from all angles of our needs.
How to Put It All Into Practice
Now that you’ve learned all about the dimensions of self-care, think about how you might start to incorporate them into your regular routine. Maybe it’s walking on your lunch break, reading a book before bed, or trying out journaling in the morning. I have a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to it if you need more inspiration. Just think about what you would find fun or relaxing and make a conscious effort to do more of it!
My favorite way to ensure that I practice self-care is by scheduling it in my planner. When I am looking at my week, I look at different ways I can sneak in self-care into my day. I It helps me look at all the dimensions of self-care and how I can incorporate this different dimensions into my daily routine. It helps me not get bored or complacent with self-care and also leaves it open for me to try new things to see if I like them and if they are helpful.
So, what is your favorite way to sneak self-care into your day? If you don’t already, what do you think you can do to ensure you take some time out for yourself? I promise you, your mind and body will thank you.
