Self-Care Tips
Some associate self-care with expensive pampering treatments like massages and manicures, but there are numerous low-cost self-care activities that count. Daily chores like making your bed in the morning can count as self-care too.
Ideal self-care should leave you feeling calm and invigorated. Here are a few tips to help you develop appropriate self-care routines:
1. Take Care of Your Physical Needs
Physical self-care includes taking steps such as getting enough restful sleep, eating nutritious food and moving your body regularly. It may also involve exploring new forms of exercise like joining a group fitness class or adding hiking into your weekend plan.
Kissen recommends seeking activities that recharge rather than drain your battery, such as reading, listening to podcasts or even playing word games. Social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing can be achieved by spending time with loved ones or visiting a therapist regularly.
2. Practice Self-Care Techniques
Employing self-care techniques involves an array of activities designed to promote physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. These may include hygiene practices, recreational activities, healthy eating options, setting boundaries with family and friends and limiting digital screen time usage among others.
Ideal self-care strategies should encompass multiple domains of wellness: physical, social, emotional, intellectual and financial. But it may be that one area needs additional self-care support than others – for instance if your emotional wellbeing is declining rapidly you may require more time practicing techniques designed to raise mood levels and promote relaxation.
3. Set Healthy Boundaries
Boundaries are an integral component of healthy relationships and an integral component of self-care. Physical boundaries like asking someone else to respect your space or time-bound ones like setting aside two hours each week just for yourself are both necessary components to maintaining well-being and meeting all your needs.
Therapists can teach strategies that can help you establish and uphold healthy boundaries. Our resources, such as the worksheet Visualizing Your Boundaries and Saying No Worksheet can be helpful tools in this process.
4. Practice Positive Self-Talk
Positive self-talk is an effective way of countering internal messages that may be negative. Try pausing throughout your day to acknowledge when negative thoughts emerge and then reframing them – this may include recognizing harmful patterns such as catastrophizing or polarizing (only seeing things as either good or bad).
Challenge your thoughts by questioning their reality and logic. Switching up the internal dialogue will enable you to remain resilient and optimistic even during challenging circumstances.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Stressful life situations and inadequate rest can leave people feeling exhausted during the day, which in turn impacts mood and energy levels. Ensuring enough rest may help protect against health concerns like heart disease and obesity.
Just making some minor tweaks to your daily routine may be enough to get enough restful slumber. For instance, setting an alarm and going to sleep at the same times every day (including weekends). Also avoid looking at bright screens like TVs and smartphones before bed and instead read something inspirational instead.
6. Do Something You Love
Self-care takes many forms; for some it might mean taking an early morning stroll around the neighborhood; for others, it could involve reading a calming book before bed. Whatever it is for you, self-care should serve to recharge rather than deplete.
If you find yourself scrolling Facebook feeds before bed or watching violent films, try switching up your media consumption with more uplifting podcasts or books that provide comforting messages. Furthermore, connecting with people who make you happy can also have a great positive effect.
7. Schedule Time for Yourself
Even simple acts of self-care such as opening your blinds for some natural sunlight or drinking water and taking vitamins in the morning can help enhance your day and improve your mood. New behavioral habits take time to form; therefore, start small and gradually build upon what works for your schedule.
Finding balance can be challenging when your life is full of obligations, but it is vital to include leisure activities and downtime into your routine to prevent burnout.
