What Even is Self Care?

Outside of face masks and tea.

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The term “self care” is something I’m positive we’re all familiar with. We’ve seen it on tik tok, instagram, twitter, our family and friends tell us about it and influencers make videos about it. Self care is a very important habit to practice in your life in order to attain self love and personal internal balance.

Unfortunately when people talk about self care they only show one, very small element of it; the aesthetically pleasing element. You know, the fancy and extensive skin care, the hair products, buying nice clothes… the stuff that looks fun.

Now while that IS a part of it and can be an important part at that, it’s not the only element. In fact, there are many facets of self care that often go unspoken about. With that being said, let’s dive into the many forms of self care.

Interestingly, there are actually 7 areas of self care which are physical, mental, emotional, social, recreational, environmental and spiritual.

I know it sounds very overwhelming. How the heck are we supposed to practice self care in all these areas of our life? Worry no more, I’m going to give you examples of what self care looks like in each of these 7 areas.

1. Physical:

Pretty self explanatory but physical self care has to do with your physical body. Nourishment, hygiene… etc. And yes, this is where skincare and haircare fit in perfectly!

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Some examples include..

1. Eating/making a healthy/ nourishing meal. Of course you’re free to indulge on “non healthy” food as well but remember that the idea of self care is also to provide your body with things it needs in order to work it’s best. Although I am personally a fan of ice cream. Just remember balance and to include vegetables and fruits in your meals (:
2. Vitamins and probiotics are crucial to ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs. This is an amazing form of self care because even the healthiest eaters still have a hard time getting EVERYTHING they need. Show your body you care about it by fueling it with all the vitamins and minerals it needs.
3. Move your body. Exercising, walking, running, sports, whatever fits your lifestyle the best. Staying mobile is something your body will thank you for in the future and there’s many benefits to finding ways to be active.
4. Adequate sleep. Sleep is arguably one of the most important things your body needs. Getting the right amount of sleep helps your body function the best it can and it’s one of the best ways you can care for it.
5. Getting sun is so important. Not too much sun (of course) but about 10 minutes everyday to ensure you’re getting vitamin D can help regulate the immune system, improve mood and even lead to better sleep, which we just learned is crucial for a healthy body.

2. Emotional:

This is in regards to your feelings and learning to understand your own emotions.

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1. Journaling is a great way to practice emotional self care. I know it sounds a little clichè but it can really be a great way to get your thoughts and feelings organized. I suggest not following any specific guideline and instead just write. Almost like a diary! You can list what you’re grateful for, you can write down your feelings just as they come to you… essentially just talk to yourself in an attempt to understand your own thoughts and feelings.
2. One of my personal favorite forms of emotional self care is setting boundaries. Oh man nothing feels more like self care than setting clear boundaries. Boundaries don’t always have to be extreme, even something small like asking someone to ask you if you’re in a headspace to listen to them vent can do wonders for your emotional well being. Not only does it show ME that I care about my emotional safety but it also shows others that I prioritize my emotional health.
3. Speaking to a therapist is great form of emotional self care because they’re professionals who are specifically equipped to help you analyze your emotions. It can be extremely freeing to have someone help you organize your feelings.
4. You can write down or recite positive affirmations to yourself. This is an easy way to remind yourself that YOU are here for you. It’s like a giant hug to yourself when you remind yourself that you are strong and capable and loved. This is probably the most popular and effective form of emotional self care.

3. Mental:

Mental self care deals with your ability to understand and/or process different experiences. This type of self care contributes to the creation of a growth mindset.

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1. Setting goals is a great way to care for your mental health and well being. It gives you something to strive to and a way to effectively structure your days or life in pursuit of that goal. They don’t have to be big ones, they could be smaller more personal goals, no matter how big or small, it’s still a very effective form of self care.
2. A great exercise for mental self care would be trying to pick up a new skill or learn something new. A lot of people enjoy learning another language in their spare time but you could also pick up new hobbies like art or dance… anything really. Taking time out to learn new skills helps keep your brain healthy as it stimulates your brain and improves cognitive function.
3. Stimulating your brain with reading is a very popular choice. Reading keeps your mind engaged and helps you practice focus as well as visualization. You can read fantasy books, romance, self help… whatever book you want. Winding down at the end of the day by reading a chapter of a book is also a great way to relax while also providing your brain with well needed self care and attention.

4. Environmental:

This aspect of self care very often goes overlooked. A lot of our daily lives take place in environments that we don’t typically have full control of. For example, grocery stores, coffee shops, school, work, the doctor’s office, etc. A good environment should not only bring you peace but also motivate you as opposed to distract you and overstimulate you. So when you’re in an environment that you have control over, it’s important to make it one that sets you up for success.

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1. Keep your spaces tidy. Whether it’s your work space, your kitchen/bathroom… organization and tidiness makes it easier to think and is less distracting to you which in turn makes it a more peaceful environment. Make your bed, put laundry away, vacuum, dust, etc. You’ll thank yourself for it.
2. Instead of catching up on work at home, take it to a local lowkey cafè. Change up the scenery around you every now and again. Sitting in the same place everyday can get very boring. Switch it up and allow yourself to have a slightly different experience than your normal day to day routine.
3. Set up a wind down nightly routine. Having a night routine that you enjoy is a wonderful form of environmental self care. It lets your brain know that it’s time to start winding down. Make it a routine that you enjoy, set up things that make your experience relaxing and pleasant. I like to light a candle in my bathroom right before I begin my nightly hygiene routine. It sets the mood and makes the environment feel so relaxing and pleasant.

5. Social:

When we hear self care, I believe a lot of us assume that it needs to be done alone and that’s not necessarily the case, especially because being social is still part of being human. Social self care deals with our connections to others… So here are some examples of social self care.

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1. schedule a hangout with a friend! However you like to hang out whether it’s to grab food, see a movie, hit the mall, go for a drive or just hang out at your house and eat food and play games. Schedule time to see your friends, maybe host a game night.
2. Set healthy boundaries with the people in your life. There is no better way to take care of yourself socially than to set boundaries. Let people know what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable so that you can increase your comfortability around your friends and family as well as social situations.
3. Reach out to someone you love and tell them you’re grateful for them. They probably won’t be expecting it and it’s a great way to enrich your connection with one another.

6. Recreational:

This centers around your hobbies and interests. It’s important to remember that not everything you like has to make you money. It’s important to have hobbies and activities that are just fun for you. Some recreational self care ideas could be.

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1. Find a new hobby or continue one that you love. Hobbies are so important to maintain because they’re a component of enjoying our lives. It keeps our brains active and allows us to be creative/adventurous.
2. Relax! It’s okay to relax you guys. We spend a lot of our time dedicated to other people and other deadlines… sometimes you need to kick back in your PJs all day with a cup of coffee next to you while you play some angry birds on your phone.
3. Play games. It could be either board games or video games, whatever you personally prefer. Games can be good for the brain and let’s face it, they’re fun! It’s perfectly okay to have fun.

7. Spiritual:

Spiritual self care has to do with nurturing/nourishing your spirit. This doesn’t necessarily have to be religious, but it certainly can be if that aligns with your lifestyle and values. Whatever centers your spirit. This could look like…

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1. Meditating is a great form of spiritual self care. This also looks different for everyone. For some it requires complete silence and sitting still, for others it looks like praying, or maybe it constitutes just taking a few moments for slow and intentional breathing. Whatever it looks like for you, make sure to make time for it.
2. Do some random acts of kindness. What better way to nourish your spirit than to be randomly kind to someone. A small compliment or a helping hand can really go a long way for someone and it’s sure to center you spiritually.
3. Sometimes spending time in nature is all you need. My preferred method is a 15 minute walk outside. Try to find an area around some trees and plants. I don’t fully understand the science but I know that I always feel refreshed after being around nature. It puts things into perspective how trivial most things are and can leave you with a sense of gratitude.

There are many areas of self care and it’s important that we do our best to make sure they don’t go overlooked. Without self care, we lose our love for life and for ourselves and it often leads to burnout. See which areas of self care you may not have made time for in the past and try to practice them now. I promise you’ll thank yourself for it.