Overview
- Maintenance of Emotional Health
- Taking Care of one’s Body
- Mindful Maintenance
- Practices for Nurturing One’s Spiritual Health
You’ve undoubtedly heard the term “self-care” more than you can count recently unless you’ve been living under a rock without access to high-speed internet. Unfortunately, you may be associating self care to “pampering” with “spending money on yourself,” thanks to a recent fad created by social media for spa days and pedis only for self care. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with these Personal self-care practices, effective self care is much more than this and can be truly transformative to leveling you up, if done right and made into simple every day self-care routines.
What are self-care practices? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self-care is as an individual’s capacity to take charge of his or her own health care, including the promotion and maintenance of wellness, the rise of disease prevention, and the management of health problems such as illness and disability. This is a great definition because we know that to feel your best in every aspect of life, you should practice several (four, to be exact) forms of self-care. Those four forms of self-care are:
- Taking care of one’s feelings – Yes, to emotional self care 🙂
- Taking care of one’s physical health – Yes, to physical self care 🙂
- Care for the mind – Oh double yes, to mental self care 🙂
- Mindful, spiritual maintenance – And yes, yes to spiritual self care 🙂
As you read, you’ll gain insight into how to care for each area, fine-tune your self-care practices, and maintain your health and wellness in a way that allows you to always put your best foot forward in front of loved ones and business associates.
1. Maintenance of Emotional Health
Learning to control our sentiments and deal with new, difficult emotions as they occur is crucial to our well-being and quality of life. For this reason, it’s vital for us to take care of our emotional selves, to make time for ourselves to acknowledge and positively process our feelings.
Everyone can benefit from prioritizing this essential aspect of self-care, but the following groups will find it especially helpful:
- Those experiencing difficulties regulating their feelings and they are quickly impacted by the bad vibes of those around them.
- Those having difficulty getting past feelings of inferiority, inferiority complexes, remorse, shame, etc.
Practicing emotional self-care and learning to offer grace regularly will boost your happiness and sense of well-being.
Methods of Self-Treatment for Emotional Needs:
- Intentional Breaths
- Journaling
- Consultation with a professional health or life coach, therapist, spiritual guide, or another kind of advisor
- Repeating positive affirmations or statements to oneself, also called “mantras”
- Meditation
- Gratefulness training
Paying attention to the words you use to describe yourself is the first step toward improving your mental health. Self-criticism is a common problem that can be overcome with awareness and the determination to stop. The second phase entails substituting positive self-talk for destructive inner monologue.
2. Taking Care of One’s Body
When most of us hear the term “self-care,” we presumably picture ourselves caring for our bodies. The term “self-care” is used to describe any actions taken on purpose to improve one’s health.
Everyone can benefit from self-care regarding their bodies. The specifics vary depending on individual preferences and circumstances. For example, taking a break from sedentary activities, such as sitting at a desk, can be considered self-care. On the job in construction, you can wind down with restorative yoga or intentional stretches.
Some examples of physical self-care practices:
- Get moving by being physically busy (going for a walk, a bike ride, taking a fitness class, etc.)
- Having a soothing bath with bubbles and essential oils
- Joyfully moving to the beat of your favorite tune.
- Massage therapy
- Dozing off
However, most people searching for a break from their busy lives probably don’t have the time to run a bath with bubbles or schedule an hour-long massage. However, taking care of your body may be considerably less complicated, as simple tasks like cleaning your teeth, styling your hair, taking the stairs, and stretching for five minutes first thing in the morning all count.
Think about what kind of physical self care activity bring you a sense of peace, equilibrium, and joy, and make sure you make time to engage in those regularly.
3. Mindful Maintenance
“Mental self-care” refers to any action to maintain a sound mind. It’s not about achieving enlightenment so much as getting to know and appreciate your own thinking. Do you find it challenging to awaken each morning? Maybe your brain just feels like mush at the end of the day. Then you should undoubtedly make some of the following mental self-care techniques a regular part of your life.
Self-Care Practices for the Mind:
- Being a podcast listener
- Doing word puzzles or concentration lessons
- Visiting the Museum
- Doing some reading
- Writing (poetry, journaling, stream-of-consciousness, etc.)
Taking care of one’s mental health entails more than just engaging in exciting activities; it also includes learning to manage one’s thoughts, establishing firm boundaries with others (at home, at work, or elsewhere), and admitting when one needs outside assistance. Stimulating, supporting, and actively listening to your magnificent brain is the essence of mental self-care.
4. Practices for Nurturing One’s Spiritual Health
Don’t be fooled by the title. Everyone, whether religious, atheist, agnostic or otherwise, can benefit from this method of self-care. Taking care of yourself on a spiritual level includes anything you do to strengthen your spiritual bonds. The core of this method is fostering a bond with one’s spirit. This can involve, for some people, rituals that show respect for a higher power (God, the universe, or whatever guides you) or for some, appreciation of nature, stars, water or other higher vibrations.
Everyone can benefit from spiritual self-care, but it is beneficial for those who wish to feel more rooted in their daily lives. Additionally, it can ease the stress of dealing with loss and bereavement, medical or financial uncertainties, or any of life’s other unexpected challenges.
Self-Care Exercises for the Soul:
- Indulging in a picnic at the park
- Worshiping God or attending a religious service
- Yoga practices
- Giving one’s time to a good cause or helping a charity in person
- Making a vision board or engaging in another activity that sparks excitement and motivation in you
While each person’s approach to spiritual self-care will be different, there are some things you can do to put yourself in the best position to succeed. First, include daily spiritual self-care practices by setting up a calm and quiet space in your house. Then, stay off social media first thing in the morning and focus on positive self-talk to set the tone for a productive day.
Final Thoughts
Whatever area of your self maintenance needs working on, it is important to know that self-care practices are much more than just pampering. Don’t forget to explore NUGALA for more updates, tips and useful products.
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