With over 3 decades of experience, Dr. Lisa Lawless is a seasoned clinical psychotherapist specializing in relationships and sexuality. She holds a Ph.D. in Holistic Health and is focused on providing intimacy and sexual wellness education.
Are you giving your body and mind the TLC they deserve? Think about it: when did you last swap your workout gear for the couch potato mode or choose a healthy smoothie over that tempting pastry? Let’s keep it real and take a moment to check in with ourselves. If you’re finding it difficult to remember the last time you took good care of yourself, this may be a sign that your self-care routine needs a makeover.
Contrary to popular belief, self-care is not necessarily about indulging in junk food, a spa retreat, or a shopping spree with your friends. Self-care is really about the simple yet deeply meaningful acts that help you become the best version of yourself. It’s less about indulgent pampering and more about personal growth and self-improvement.
Taking care of yourself is so much more than staying physically and mentally fit. It’s also about keeping the spark alive in your relationships with others and most importantly, with yourself. Neglecting self-care won’t just wear you down, it can also dim that drive to nurture the connections that matter most.
Embracing a holistic approach to wellness—where you nurture your physical self and your emotional and mental well-being—can be a game-changer. It’s all about finding joy in the little things every day, keeping yourself physically fit, and feeling at ease around your family, friends, and colleagues. It isn’t just about looking good, it’s about feeling amazing from the inside out. Recognize that when you’re in harmony with your body, emotions, and mind, life gets a little brighter.
You know that feeling when something in your life isn’t really working? Perhaps it’s stress from work, or you’re just feeling totally burnt out. Well, self-care is all about those little things you do for yourself to make a difference to your overall well-being. It’s important to note that it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution because we all have our unique challenges. However, the goal is the same: to turn that frown upside down and feel a bit more awesome in our everyday lives. Let’s look at some examples of how we can give ourselves more self-care.
Just like choosing the perfect outfit, picking the right foods and activities can make you feel amazing.
Imagine your body is a high-performance engine that deserves the best type of fuel. That’s why you should opt for nutritionally dense foods that taste great and give you that glowing, vibrant energy.
Picture your bed as a fluffy cloud. Quality sleep is like a nightly mini-vacation for your body, and it helps you wake up feeling ready to conquer the day every morning.
Your mental and emotional health is just as important as physical fitness. Therefore, focusing on practice and positive thinking is like keeping your inner garden blooming with positivity and resilience.
Reasons why BetterMe is a safe bet: a wide range of calorie-blasting workouts, finger-licking recipes, 24/7 support, challenges that’ll keep you on your best game, and that just scratches the surface! Start using our app and watch the magic happen.
Elevate your career game. Just as you sharpen your favorite knife, honing your work skills can help improve your work satisfaction.
Managing money can feel more manageable when you have a plan. Doing this sets you up for a stress-free, financially secure future.
Mingling and connecting with others can bring joy and open up a world of new possibilities. Having more contact with people you care about can help you feel more fulfilled in your life.
Sometimes, a little change to your surroundings can work magic, such as doing some rearranging or redecorating your living space to get a fresh perspective.
Take time for self-reflection. This is like having a heart-to-heart with your best friend – you! Spend some time understanding your desires and dreams, and allow time to enjoy yourself.
As you can see, self-care is so much more than an occasional fun night out with friends. It’s also about dedicating time to activities that boost your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. It’s important to remember that self-care isn’t a luxury, it’s a crucial part of maintaining your overall health. (1). If you want to live a better life, you must consider your bad habits and the main causes of your problems. In this way, with small steps, you’re about to make big changes.
You’re probably familiar with the usual six forms, but guess what? We’ve got a couple more up our sleeve, which makes it a fabulous eight. That’s right, we’re going beyond the basics to explore these additional gems because we believe in giving you the whole picture. So, let’s dive in and discover these eight essential self-care types that could be your new secret weapons for a healthier, happier you:
Your physical state should be your top priority, as all the rest of the daily forms of self-care are dependent on your health. This type of self-care includes all the activities that can make you stronger, invigorated, more flexible, and less vulnerable to several diseases.
Your physical needs include:
Keeping your brain happy is like a mental gym session. Think puzzles, riddles, or anything that makes you really focus. When your mind is in top shape, you’re more energized, less stressed, and healthier overall. (3).
Check out these mental self-care examples:
Emotional self-care is essential. Have you ever felt totally overwhelmed? Your feelings can become intensified if you don’t take care of your emotional well-being. If you let them get away from you, you can become depressed and anxious.
Learning to manage your feelings isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. It means you can face tough times without losing your cool. With the right approach, you can stay calm and bounce back, no matter what life throws at you.
Check out these key ways to enhance your emotional self-care:
Have you ever daydreamed about treating yourself to something fancy, but then realized your wallet won’t allow it? We’ve all been there, making impulsive buys that seem fun at the moment but leave you feeling a bit guilty later. The secret to avoiding this stress is to get savvy with your finances.
Think of it as self-care for your bank account. You don’t need to be a Wall Street whiz; it’s all about baby steps. Keep an eye on what you spend—those little purchases can soon add up. Saving money can be as simple as setting aside the cost of your daily latte. Over time, you’ll be surprised by how much this saves you.
So, you should start small, stay consistent, and watch your available purchasing funds grow.
Here are additional ways to achieve good financial self-care:
Read more: 6 Cold Water Therapy Benefits Worth Noting
Staying connected with people is a big deal for your well-being. That means chatting with people you care about because keeping up those relationships is essential for your mental health. Think of it as ‘social self-care’, and it’s backed up by science too!
Feeling lonely isn’t just about being sad, it can seriously mess with your mental state, increasing the risks of anxiety and depression and even exacerbating severe pre-existing conditions such as substance abuse, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.
Here are some effective tips to make your social life richer and more satisfactory:
Are you happy with your job? Or do you feel as if you’re wasting your time? If you’ve ever had these thoughts, you should consider personal growth and self-care. This will allow you to understand exactly what you want from life and what goals you need to set.
What kind of person do you really want to be? Mull over your priorities and activities that bring you joy and could potentially bring you money. Think outside the box, attend courses to hone new skills, and start changing your life through small steps.
Everyone needs efficient rest for reinvigoration. That’s why during physical exercises, trainers highlight the importance of rest as it decreases the risk of injury and gives you power for future training.
The same goes for other activities. You should take time to relish hobbies, such as painting, reading a book, or watching a movie. Perhaps you haven’t met up with your friends for a long time and would like to enjoy a nice chinwag.
You can rest by simply doing yoga, muscle relaxation, meditation, or breathing techniques (3). There are times when your body needs to recharge, so you need to give it what it desires.
Do you ever feel like a cluttered room leads to a cluttered headspace? There’s real truth to that. Practicing environmental self-care means shaping your surroundings in a way that naturally inspires and supports your everyday tasks. It’s about making your space work for you, which can make a world of difference to how you feel and function on a daily basis.
If you’re feeling the urge to switch things up in your space, go for it! You may not realize it, but the way your room looks actually says a lot about who you are. While redecorating won’t magically make your job easier or check things off your to-do list, it can spark your creativity and productivity.
You can try the following steps to improve your environment:
BetterMe app will provide you with a host of fat-frying fitness routines that’ll scare the extra pounds away and turn your body into a masterpiece! Get your life moving in the right direction with BetterMe!
Diving into the world of self-care can seem overwhelming, but don’t worry. It’s actually pretty easy to get started. Remember, it’s all about taking that first step, so are you ready to start pampering yourself?
Your self-care checklist:
Let’s take a moment for some self-care reflection. Picture your everyday life. Now, zero in on those little habits that might be dimming your sparkle, such as mindlessly scrolling through social media immediately after you wake up or not hydrating yourself enough. It’s all about noticing the tiny choices that could nudge your mood and wellness off track. Let’s make a list of some little tweaks that may just make a big difference in how fabulous you feel!
Let’s keep it simple and achievable. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged when trying to make a change, and this is often because we set our sights a bit too high too fast. But here’s a little secret: start small and take baby steps. Say you want to dive into the world of books. Rather than overwhelming yourself, why not start with just five pages a day? This may not sound like much, but it’s a start. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself breezing through 10, 20, or 30 pages a day. The key is patience and taking it one step at a time.
We all know that vague promises such as “I’ll exercise every day” can be a slippery slope to getting nowhere. So here’s my pro tip: be specific and make it a plan! How about committing to 20 minutes of workout every day? Trust me, this small tweak in how you set your goals can really amp up your motivation and lead to actual results.
Get someone to be your fitness buddy and keep an eye on your progress. Let’s face it: when no one’s watching, it’s way too easy to slack off, but imagine if your BFF or your cousin was on your fitness journey with you. It’s like having your own personal cheerleader who also holds you accountable.
You can add a playful twist to your goals by making a friendly wager with your fitness pal. Let’s say if you don’t hit your goal of shedding 5 pounds in a month, you owe them a little cash. This can be a fun and effective way to stay on track.
Read more: Somatic Experiencing Therapy: A Guide to Getting In Touch With Your Innermost Self
We’ve looked at the eight types of self-care – physical health, mental well-being, emotional needs, financial fitness, social self-care, personal growth, recreational time, and your environment. It’s like a self-care buffet, and you get to pick what works best for you! Ultimately, it’s about finding joy in everyday moments and making sure you take care of yourself.
So, are you ready to jump on the self-care train? Remember, it’s not about perfection, it’s about making small, sustainable changes that result in a healthier, happier you. Start today, and make self-care a regular part of your life, because we all deserve to feel amazing!
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