What is Self-Care?

Butterfly ImageWe often hear health-care providers, be it spas, pcp office, yoga instructors, etc, say that we need to administer self-care. That means different things to different people.

I came across another wellness practitioner in my reading. I was inspired to write this post.

I will attempt to be concise in this explanation.

When thinking of self-care we must think of our very basic needs:

  • Physical health – That includes making sure that :
    • We eat food that is healthy
    • We do some form of exercise to stay fit (this also helps our emotional needs)
    • We get enough sleep
    • Our medical needs are met
  • Emotional health – Which includes (if needed):
    • Counseling/Therapy when we reach an uncontrolled state of mind
    • Journaling our experience to get it out of our head and write our story
    • Some form of relaxation to help ward off unwanted stress
      • Relaxation means different things to different people. It could be one or all of these:
        1. Meditation
        2. Breathing exercises
        3. Visit the spa and get spa treatments of whatever kind
        4. Reading a book that’s not action packed
        5. Taking a nap
        6. Having supportive people around you that add value to your life
        7. If you think of any please leave a comment below with your feedback.
  • Finding time for leisure is a big help as well. After all, as the saying goes “all work and no play makes Jack/Jill a dull person” as well as overworked and stressed out. Leisure means different things to different people also. The main thing is to take some time for leisure.

A quote by University of KY Student Affairs:

“Make your self-care a priority, not something that happens (or doesn’t happen!) by accident.”