Cameron Tuggle, Graduate Student Intern
Supervised by Andrea Henderson, MA, LPC-S and Katie Compton, MA, LPC-S, RPT™, CFLE, IMH-E (II)
Self-care has quickly become a buzzword in today’s world. With one quick Google search, you can find a simple definition of self-care. Here is a couple to note, “Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health.” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.)), and “Self-care is the practice of individuals looking after their own health using the knowledge and information available to them.” (Global Self-Care Federation (n.d)). After reading both of these definitions, it’s evident that self-care should be integrated into our lifestyles in order to promote overall wellness. But how do we practically do this? How do we take time out of our day to focus specifically on our own needs? Is that selfish? How can this be done when my schedule is already packed to the brim? If any of these questions are running through your mind as you think about self-care, this post is intended for you. I hope it serves as a piece of encouragement as we navigate these busy seasons in our lives.
Now more than ever, self-care is valuable to overall wellness. With technology in the palm of our hands, we are at arm’s reach no matter the time or day. This can be exhausting when we don’t focus on spending time pouring into our own cups. Whatever is being poured into us is eventually going to pour out. Wellness can be looked at from six different areas of our lives including emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual, social, and financial. Self-care tends to each of these needs so that we can achieve overall wellness. (Use the PDF link below for your own assessment)
Emotional wellness can be gauged by recognizing stress and implementing ways to manage it.
Physical wellness includes the food we eat to nurture our bodies, getting movement in daily, and getting adequate sleep each night.
Intellectual self-care is usually the least mentioned, but still just as important as others. This involves the individual's personal and occupational growth.
Spiritual wellness includes whether meaning and purpose are felt by the individual and if they practice the specific beliefs that hold.
Social wellness includes having friendships with individuals who can be trusted, and the ability to work through conflict and find resolutions in situations.
Financial wellness can be seen by living within your means and holding responsibility for necessary financial decisions.
By understanding self-care in a deeper way we can begin to stride toward overall wellness. A good place to start is to asses and acknowledge where we currently are in each of these sections. At the end of this, a great resource has been provided in order to help assess what is currently being met and what isn’t. Self-care allows us to show up fully present and at our best with whatever life throws at us. Here are a couple of ideas of self-care that can be incorporated into day-to-day life or can be done as needed as a fun break!
Go for a quick walk
Grab coffee or tea with a friend
Take a relaxing bath
Read a new book
Take a nap
Spend time with family
Practice mindfulness and breathwork
Learn something new
Cook a healthy meal
Get a good night's rest
This list is just the tip of the iceberg of the different ways self-care could be implemented into your schedule. Self-care is something that fills your cup and brings you joy, it’s something that can be incorporated into your life daily.
References
What is self-care?. Global Self-Care Federation. (n.d.).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Caring For Your Mental Health.
National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-
mental-health
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