A Practical Guide to Self-Care Self-care is defined as the practice of preserving or improving one’s health. The definition is straightforward and easy to grasp but many of us today don’t practice self-care enough for so many reasons. Do we not know how to take care of ourselves? There seems to be a disconnect somewhere -an obstacle that’s preventing us from taking self-care seriously.
In most cases, we know what we need to do to become our best versions but because of our own beliefs, we end up putting self-care at the very bottom of our priority list. In this article, we will learn what self-care really is, discover the most common reasons why we find it challenging to practice, and explore practical ways to include self-care in our daily lives.
What self-care is and what it isn’t The World Health Organization defines self-care as the “ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, and maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” The WHO definition seems to be the most concrete. But if we simplify it into one sentence, self-care is any activity you do to maintain or improve your own physical and mental health.
It’s important to understand the meaning of self-care in its essence because misinformation is common, especially nowadays when anyone can post anything on social media.
There are plenty of people that translate the definition into something else. For instance, there are those that overindulge in anything (alcohol, eating, etc) because they think that this is self-care. If it harms your body in any way, it’s not self-care at all. Self-care also isn’t about going out with friends to drink until you can no longer walk. And, definitely, self-care is not talking bad about others to make yourself feel better.
The core of self-care has always been a renewed spirit, a rejuvenated body, and a more relaxed and calmer state of self. Why is Self-Care so important? If you want to build resilience -bounce back from hurt, failure, or anything negative that has happened in your life -you have to practice self-care.
As the definition goes, it’s activities that are healthy and focused on self-preservation, healing, and love. According to clinical studies, self-care: Improves Your Quality of Life A study showed that when medical students engage in self-care activities, it lessens the strength of the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life. The study also mentioned that medical students who engage in various self-care pursuits were more resilient with lower levels of distress during their medical education. Improves Your Mental Well-being Self-care, through purposeful time spent alone, can help regulate your emotions, especially during big transitions in life, based on a study. Big changes or sudden shifts in our life can make us feel overwhelmed, affecting our emotional state. To regain our balance, we can spend some time alone (an act of self-care) to process the changes. Improves Your Health Research shows that chronic stress can have negative effects on your body. Each of our bodily systems won’t be able to function efficiently. For instance, chronic stress can bring about bloating and gut discomfort. It can also cause metabolic and immune disorders. Proper stress management involves getting regular exercise and enough sleep -both of which are practical acts of self-care. Improves Your Self-Compassion, Self-compassion is synonymous with self-love -treating yourself kindly, knowing your value, and placing importance on your humanity. When you do self-care, the compassion you have for yourself increases. Research has shown that self-compassion predicts more stable feelings of self-worth.
Other than these studies and research, self-care can help foster healthier romantic relationships, nurture connectedness with family and friends, increases productivity, and so much more. Also, as you practice self-care and make yourself a priority, you become more whole. One of the simplest analogies I can think of is serving pizza (you’re the pizza) at a party. Sometimes, we give a part of ourselves away to friends and family. The more we give, the lesser of us is left. Maybe after helping our friend with his or her problem, we’re left with half a pizza. Then comes family members that also need consoling. If we don’t do self-care, there may be none left on the pizza plate. Oppositely, it’s important to do self-care, not just because of the benefits listed here but, because the more we make ourselves “whole” with consistent acts of self-care, the more we can give pieces of ourselves to others.
How do you start doing self-care? Before we learn about how to start doing simple self-care practices, let’s make something very clear. The act of doing self-care doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time if you’re working or have a business. It also doesn’t have to be expensive. There are several simple acts of self-care you can introduce to your day. For example: Exercise Regularly Exercising is an act of self-care because it focuses on improving your physical self.
However, you don’t have to hit the gym hard every day so you can say that you exercised. A quick (about 30mins) walk in the park is still considered exercise. Eat Healthily Eating well is a form of self-love because you’re putting good fuel into your body. Junk food and sweets can be good as comfort food but they should be consumed in moderation. On top of this, you also have to stay hydrated -don’t forget to drink the recommended amount of water every day.
Make Sleep a Priority Most of us have already heard of the hustle culture or the burnout culture where we dedicate long hours to work, sacrificing self-care, in order to be successful quicker. This perspective can make you sacrifice sleep in order to achieve success. It doesn’t have to be hustling too, it can be watching TV or scrolling through your phone all night that’s causing you to sleep less. Well, this isn’t ideal because the lesser our hours of sleep, the more our bodies react as if it is in distress.
Do Something Relaxing The term relaxing is very subjective so I would recommend doing whatever it is that makes you calmer. It could be a day at the spa, getting a haircut, reading a book, or even cooking your favorite meal. The idea is for you to feel calm and easy. Meditation One of the best ways for you to feel relaxed is to meditate. It can be a daily practice as it only requires a couple of minutes a day. For beginners, there are plenty of resources online such as audio recordings for guided meditation sessions. One great example is this 15 Minute Guided Meditation for Positive Energy & Releasing Fear. Always Practice Gratitude Gratitude is simply being thankful. What do you have in your life that you are truly thankful for? Is it your spouse? Your supportive children? A workplace that fosters your growth? Practicing gratitude helps you feel more positive emotions and appreciate good experiences. By doing this, you’ll have a more positive outlook on your day.
Start a Journal Experts say that journaling is a good way for us to make sense of what’s happening around us. If our world is ins disarray, journaling is a way for us to create order. You can write about anything in your journal, from the things that you are thankful for, to your deepest fears. Before you start, you need to:
● Identify your “WHY” -this is going to be your motivation to keep writing.
● Determine what type of journaling you want to do -you could do a diary journal where you write anything, a gratitude journal where you write down things you are thankful for, a photo journal made up of inspiring and beautiful photos you took, a collage journal where you express your feelings through collaging images.
● Make sure you have supplies -from your colored pens to bright markers to your actual journal, make sure you have everything you need. When you have all of your materials ready, you can start by reflecting by the end of your day or the start of your day. For instance, in the morning you can journal about what your goals are for the day and what you’d like to focus on. Here are some guide questions to get you started: Morning Journaling Prompts
1. What are my top 3 goals today?
2. What obstacles am I going to encounter that will hinder me from hitting my goals?
3. How can I tackle these obstacles?
4. Today I choose to… Questions like these will help you be more centered and focused to tackle the day and be more productive.
It’s like adjusting your mindset before you actually start your day. You can also choose to journal at night. Through this, you can look back on your day, see what you’ve accomplished, reflect on how you felt, and maybe even write down things that you are grateful for. To get started, make use of these guide questions: Night Journaling Prompts
1. What was the best part of the day?
2. What could have gone better today?
3. What new lesson did I learn today?
4. This day, I am grateful for… When you journal at night, it’s like putting a cap on your day. It helps you process, unwind and relax, and end the day on the right note Reach Out to Family and Friends No man is an island as they say so it’s part of self-care to be among people who care and love you. Reach out to family members and friends when needed.
Conclusion: Start Today
The moment you decide that you’re going to take self-care more seriously, you’re already done with the first step. Remember that taking care of yourself is not selfish at all, it’s a way for you to become better and become more available to help others. Doing self-care activities is good for both your physical and mental well-being, and there are plenty of research and studies that back this up.
These activities don’t have to be big, expensive, and time-consuming. Something as simple as going to bed at a consistently decent hour is already considered self-care. You can definitely focus on smaller gestures, especially if your day is always packed. The important thing is to start so you can begin your journey to be better -more compassionate, kind, confident, happy, and so on. If this is what self-care can do, then maybe it’s something that we should prioritize above work and our busy schedules.
“Be the love you always hoped for.” —Juansen Dizon
