Self-care is something that many of us view as a privilege, though it is essential to our
vitality. Self-care is something that is defined differently by each person who has
introduced the concept into their lives. This is a brief guide on how you can begin to
define self-care for yourself.
As a therapist, one of the most common questions I receive from clients is: “what does
self-care even mean?” In addition to, “how do I make a self-care routine?”, so let’s begin
to break down those two very common questions:
Let’s start with what a definition; as defined by Oxford’s English Dictionary, self-
care is:
noun: self-care; noun: self-care
1. the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health. “Autonomy
in self-care and insulin administration”
2. The practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and
happiness, in particular during periods of stress. “Expressing oneself is an
essential form of self-care"
Okay, so self-care is the protection and nurturing of one’s well-being and happiness.
Let’s break it down some more…
What makes up one’s well-being?
Something that I’ve found helpful for clients is breaking “well-being” down into
categories.
Here’s some of the categories I have clients focus on when we are working on
establishing an individualized self-care routine:
• Psychological/Intellectual well-being
• Emotional well-being
• Physical well-being
• Spiritual well-being
• Professional well-being
So, how do I protect and nurture my well-being in the context of self-care?
Here’s a hint…
Intellectual self-care
Example: Reading 5-15 minutes every day
Physical/Somatic self-care
Examples: maintaining hygiene daily, go for a walk every day or stretch every day, get x
amount of hours of sleep every night
Spiritual/Religious self-care
Examples: Meditation, prayer once a day
Psychological/Emotional self-care
Examples: journal, video journal, use a shared journal
Professional self-care
Examples: set boundaries with work (only work late 2x a week maximum) or don’t take
work laptop home on weekends
Of note, continuing to build off this guide and work on this with a therapist or counselor
can be helpful, as it can support you in coming up with a specific and well thought out
routine to implement into your day-to-day life to better manage stress and nurture your
overall well-being.
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