Everything You Need to Know About Self-Care
By now, everyone has heard of self-care. Whether you’ve heard it from your therapist, a health magazine, or that one family member who has read every self-help book ever published, you probably have some vague idea of what self-care is. But is self-care more than just a buzzword? What does self-care actually mean?
What is Self-Care?
The definition of self-care is the act of doing things that help you live well and improve your physical and mental health (source). Basically, just taking care of yourself and staying on top of the things you need to function well. Just as a parent would take care of their child, or a pet-owner takes care of their beloved pets, the expectation is that you take on the role of “caring” for yourself.
Why is Self-Care Important?
Self-care helps play a role in maintaining good physical and mental health. It can help you manage stress, lower your risk of getting sick, increase energy levels, and help support you if you are dealing with mental illness. In general, self-care can improve your quality of life.
What are Some Examples of Self-Care?
So sometimes when we hear the words self-care, we think of lighting candles, taking a bath, or being a little self-indulgent (AKA Treat yourself). While those things aren’t necessarily wrong, they don’t really capture what self-care is. To get a better idea of what self-care can look like, let’s look at what The International Self-Care Foundation identified as the seven major categories of self-care (source).
Knowledge and Health Literacy – having the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take action to improve your personal health. This looks like taking the time to know your personal health goals and learning about how to take action towards them. This can be especially important if you have chronic illness, so you can advocate for yourself and appropriately manage your symptoms.
Example: You just got the news from your doctor that you have a health issue. You then look up information about this particular issue including ways to manage it. At your next appointment, you share what you found with your doctor and ask questions that help fill in any gaps.
Mental Wellbeing – being aware of your personal health status, both physically and mentally. This means that you stay on-top of your physical and mental health by getting routine check-ups, attending yearly appointments with relevant providers, and keep up with any medication you may need.
Example: Every year you go to the gynecologist, dentist, and primary care doctor for routine visits. Outside of those visits, if you feel unwell, you take time off to see a doctor and follow their recommendations.
Physical Activity - being involved in some form of regular exercise or activity. This can be different for so many people, so it’s important to find what form of physical activity you enjoy and can stick to. This can look like a 30-minute walk every other day, doing online yoga videos, lifting weights, etc…
Example: You are someone who loves sports and hates going to the gym, so you choose to join a soccer club that meets 3 times a week.
Healthy Eating – eating a well-balanced diet and meeting your nutritional needs. A poor diet can have significant impacts on both our physical and mental health (e.g., guilt, depression, anxiety). Eating a more well-rounded diet and making sure you are feeding yourself enough can help foster a sense of well-being and a better relationship with food.
Example: You are busy with work and school and sometimes you forget to eat meals throughout the day. You decide to make yourself breakfast, lunch, and snacks to bring with you to work and school every day that has a good mix of veggies, fruits, carbs, fats, and protein.
Risk Avoidance – reducing your exposure to things that may cause you harm. While we cannot avoid every risk in our lives, we do have control of certain things we expose ourselves to. Self-care in this area looks like limiting drugs and alcohol use, practicing safe-sex, wearing sunscreen, and avoiding dangerous situations.
Example: You and your friends have a Friday tradition of getting wasted after work and driving home. You decide that you want to cut back to only 1-2 drinks on Fridays and take a cab instead of driving.
Good Hygiene – making time for grooming and cleanliness every day. While it might not seem like it, doing things like brushing your teeth, showering, washing your hands, and cleaning yourself are all critical for self-care. Having good hygiene keeps less at risk for illness and can help lift up our self-esteem.
Example: As a teen you neglected brushing your teeth for months which led to cavities and bad breath that made you self-conscious. As an adult, you have committed to brushing at least once per day and no longer fear being physically close to people.
Rational Use of Products and Services – being responsible when it comes to the products and services you are using. If you take prescription medicine, they should come from a medical professional. If you are receiving therapy, you should be working with a licensed mental health professional. While it can be tempting to fudge the rules for the sake of convenience or a current desire, doing so can end up hurting you in the long-run.
Example: You are on a medication that warns you to not mix it with alcohol. Your friends invite you bar-hopping and you decide to stick to soda that night.
Is That It?
You may be wondering if that list includes everything you can be doing for self-care. In short, no. There are other activities that you can be doing that also count towards caring for yourself that might not be on that list. Some examples include deep breathing, journaling, practicing gratitude and compassion, sleeping, relaxation, and connecting with family or friends. Also, self-care can look different for different people. As you go through life you can try to focus on what things make you feel good, healthy, and balanced and then make sure to keep doing them!
Self-Care Sounds like a lot of Work
It’s true that when taken together in a list like the one above, it can seem like self-care involves a lot of work to do it right. However, self-care can be looked at like a journey. Nobody is perfect and it’s not realistic to assume that you’ll be able to do 100% of these things all the time. Just take a look at the list again and see what you are already doing to help care for yourself. Thank yourself for all that you are doing. Then look at what you can slowly start adding to your life to help you improve your well-being. After you do that, go treat yourself with something that makes you feel good. You’ve earned it just for being here.
