In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world, taking care of oneself has become important for achieving a healthy work-life balance. In simple terms, self-care involves intentionally taking action to protect and enhance our physical and mental well-being However, on social media, self-care is often portrayed as something very luxurious and expensive, creating a misleading perception While there is nothing wrong with shopping or vacations, these things represent only a small part of self-care. In this article, we’ll try to explore some of the less-discussed aspects of self-care.
The Real Essence Of Self-Care
While treating ourselves to a vacation or shopping for ourselves can certainly help, true self-care goes beyond these things. Self-care fundamentally involves nurturing overall well-being, covering physical, mental, and emotional health. It doesn’t always require extravagant actions; often, the significance lies in small, consistent practices that can have a profound impact on our lives. Thus, true self-care isn’t a luxury but a necessity.
Some things which can be considered as authentic self-care are –
#1: Building Healthy Boundaries
Emotional, mental or physical boundaries create a space between you and another person. Without boundaries, we run the risk of “losing ourselves”—we don’t know how we feel, what we’re interested in, or what we want. We let other people make decisions for us; we let them sit in the driving seat. We give and give without receiving anything in return. We also run the risk of being manipulated, used, and abused because we aren’t putting any limits on how others can treat us. We may also unknowingly breach other people’s boundaries.
Hence, we need to know when and how to maintain certain boundaries with others.
#2: Practising Meditation-
Meditation is a very healthy form of self-care. It allows us to be mindful, away from daily stressors, and in the present moment.
Meditation helps us to introspect and see what is going on in our minds and hearts. Meditation has great powers and abilities to reduce stress and anxiety and help us think more clearly if practiced regularly.
#3 Therapy-
Seeking professional help is an important way of caring for yourself if you are suffering from a problem that needs regular attention. Indirectly, therapy is also a self-care practice. Regular therapy has many benefits, and it can uncover many more unknown aspects of a person’s life than one knows. Hence, one must attend regular therapy sessions as much as possible to get to know themselves better and lead a happy, fulfilled life.
#4 Learning Assertive Communication
Assertiveness is an act of self-care and self-compassion. It can help you control stress and learn healthier coping mechanisms by expressing yourself freely and standing up for what you believe is right.
People also develop different styles of assertive communication, which can help in handling different difficult situations.
Behaving assertively can help you:
- Gain self-confidence and self-esteem
- Understand and recognize your feelings
- Earn respect from others
- Improve communication
- Improve your decision-making skills
- Create honest relationships
This is a very important act of self-care to lead a healthy life and, hence, should be used regularly.
#5: Physical Health
Regular exercise can have many benefits and improve one’s physical health. Exercising makes one feel good. Physical exercise helps stimulate brain chemicals. It can help in promoting one’s body image, thus boosting self-confidence. It also leads to better sleep and is especially helpful in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Physical exercise can be made fun in many ways, so you will not find it boring and monotonous. This then becomes a form of physical self-care, which should be done regularly to achieve these benefits.
#6: Good Diet
Maintaining a good and well-balanced diet is imperative for taking care of yourself. Nutrition is the foundation of good health. Good nutrition plays a vital role in your ability to have good health. If you’re looking for a place to start with self-care, consider starting by changing the way you think about food and nutrition. This, along with regular exercise, are physical acts of self-care and can go a long way in helping you care for yourself.
#7: Pursuing Hobbies
It is important for you to make time to pursue some activities that you like doing and take your mind off distressing thoughts for a while.
Whether you’re into practicing something creative, looking for a relaxing activity, or looking to step outside your comfort zone, having go-to hobbies as part of your self-care routine can help to enhance your self-esteem, boost your mood, and add more enjoyment to your life.
Conclusion:
Everyone’s self-care plan is different depending on what the demands of their daily lives are. The bottom line here is that self-care isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. Your self-care plan will need to be customized to your needs and what is currently going on in your life. The goal is to take steps each day to make sure that you are getting what you need to deal with the stress and challenges you face in your daily life.
Fill the fuel tank today if you want to be up and about tomorrow!
Sources-
- Dorociak KE, Rupert PA, Bryant FB, Zahniser E. Development of a self-care assessment for psychologists. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2017;64(3):325-334. doi:10.1037/cou0000206 https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000206
- 5 Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your Life. (n.d.). Verywell Mind. Retrieved March 1, 2024, from https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729
- 16 Hobbies to Add to Your Self-Care Routine. (2019, April 18). Caring Crate. https://www.caring-crate.com/blogs/caring-crate-blog/hobbies-to-add-to-your-self-care-routine
- Exercise | Self Care & Stress Reduction | Amherst College. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2024, from https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/health-safety-wellness/counseling/self_care/exercise
- Martin, D. S. (2018, June 20). Set Boundaries and Practice Self-Care Without Feeling Guilty. Live Well with Sharon Martin. https://www.livewellwithsharonmartin.com/codependency-boundaries-self-care-guilt/
- Meditation for Self-Care: 10 Minutes A Day That Can Change Your Life. (2021, May 7). https://www.psycom.net/10-minutes-that-can-change-your-life
- Ryan. (2020, December 14). How and Why Nutrition and Self-Care Go Hand-in-Hand | Minimalism Co. Minimalism. https://minimalism.co/articles/nutrition-and-self-care
- Self Care in Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2024, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/self-care
- Stressed out? Be assertive. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 1, 2024, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/assertive/art-20044644
