8 Areas Of Self-Care That You Can’t Afford To Neglect!
When you first hear the term self-care, you might feel a little weary.
Sometimes as women, we feel selfish for wanting to take care of ourselves. I know I’ve felt like that in the past but over the years I’ve changed my mind and I hope I can change yours too.
I encourage you to look at self-care differently than how you might currently see it. I’ll share with you what self-care is, why it’s important, and the different types there are.
Hopefully, by the end of this post, you’ll understand that engaging in self-care is a necessary part of life that only makes you a more caring and thoughtful woman.
Plus, be sure to check out my free self-care journaling bundle available at the end of the post!
So let’s dive right in.
Oh yeah, and this post contains affiliate links to great products that will help you in your health journey. I will get a commission if you decide to buy from these links but I’m only recommending products that I feel confident about.
– What Is Self-Care?
There’s my definition of self-care and then the technical definition of the term.
We can start with the more scientific definition of self-care which is: “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” (World Health Organization)
So that’s the fancy-schmancy version of self-care. Here’s my definition…it’s taking care of the temple that God gave you.
He gave us a body, spirit, soul, mind, relationships and material blessings and all of these things play a role in our overall well-being.
The healthier we are in all of these areas of our lives, the better able we are to serve others.
And if you’re wondering just what self-care looks like in these different areas, stick around because I’m going to share examples and resources so you can start your self-care journey today!
Another way of looking at it is the analogy of putting on your oxygen mask before you try and assist someone else with their mask.
It doesn’t make much sense to sit on a plane gasping for breath, about to pass out while you put an oxygen mask on someone else.
Once your mask is on, you can help so many more people with their masks too.
– Why Does Self-Care Matter?
Maybe you’re still not convinced that self-care is important. So let’s talk about it some more.
Self-care is a critical part of improving your overall health, especially your mental health.
Self-care comes in many forms (which we will talk about in a little bit), and all of them are vital in helping you become an amazingly healthy person.
Since taking care of yourself is so important, you should try and do some form of self-care daily. If you only do it once a week, it won’t be as beneficial. But don’t stress if you can’t practice self-care every day.
It should feel calm and rewarding, not like a burden or chore. That’s the last thing we want!
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– The 8 Areas Of Self-Care With Examples Of What To Do
1) Physical Self-Care
To maintain a healthy relationship with your body, you must do physical self-care. Working out, stretching, sleeping enough, and eating healthy foods are all part of physical self-care.
Again, there is nothing selfish about this. This is all about being a good steward of the body God has blessed you with.
I’m still working on this myself in this area and I know I feel so much better when I flood my body with nutrients, as I call it.
It’s vital for your mental health that you get out of bed and do some physical activity, even if it feels like the last thing you want to do.
I know when I struggled with depression that getting out of bed and working out was difficult but you have to force yourself to do it.
Sleeping can be a means of physical self-care. It is possible to have poor mental health if you oversleep or do not get enough sleep.
You should find your sleeping routine and stick with it. This can be hard to do when you’re so busy and don’t have a set schedule but just try to aim for a reasonable schedule if possible.
Eating healthy, as I mentioned before, is super important. I can always tell when I’ve been having too much junk food. My mood is different and my energy levels plummet.
You don’t have to have a strict diet but do try and get a good amount of fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats like avocdao and salmon in your diet.
Trust me. You will feel and function better if you eat better.
Another important aspect of physical self-care is beauty.
A spa day every now and then never hurt anyone. And if you feel like a spa day is too me-centric, you can do what I did.
I wanted to minister to some of my friends who I knew were having a hard time so I decided to have a spa day at my house so they could get their minds off of their troubles.
They absolutely loved it!
They got to practice some physical self-care and I got to practice physical and social self-care, which I will talk about more later.
More physical self-care ideas:
Take a brisk walk around your neighborhood
Try a new workout on Youtube
Buy a new fruit or vegetable and see if you like it
Turn down the lights, light some candles, and put on a beauty mask
Related physical self-care blog posts (opens in another tab):
Can You Lose Weight By Walking An Hour A Day? These 35+ Jaw-Dropping Weight Loss Results Say Yes
Free Printable Walking Journal For More Effective Weight Loss At Home!
Ya’ll, I Lost Weight Walking In Place…Here’s What You’ll Need To Do It Too!
Stretch Mark At Home Remedies: 5 Awesome Products To Help You Reduce Their Appearance
5 Minute Natural Home Remedy To Moisturize Dry Skin On Your Body
2) Mental & Emotional Self-Care
Caring for your mental and emotional health is something you can’t ignore.
Learning coping skills, therapy, prayer, and journaling are all elements of mental and emotional care. It is critical that if you have anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues that treat those issues so you can have peace.
In John 14:27, Jesus said: “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Personally, this is the peace I’m praying to have one day.
Therapy is a critical step in the treatment process. Having a therapist can help you with coping strategies and other ways to manage your feelings and mental health issues.
And if you’re not quite ready for face-to-face therapy, I found online therapy to be a tremendous help in treating my depression, which you can read more about here.
You may experience an even deeper understanding of your feelings and issues with the help of a therapist.
I’m also a huge advocate for journaling your feelings and thoughts which can be a great way to regulate them.
There are many approaches to journaling, and each one is valuable. You may want to give bullet journaling a shot if you’re looking to begin journaling. It’s simple and fun.
Need some more mental and emotional health ideas? Here you go:
Write in a mental health planner
Book an appointment with a therapist or life coach
Sign up for a free account with online-therapy.com
Pray for mental peace and clarity
Talk to friends and loved ones about your problems
I have so many blog posts about journaling that you can check out below:
19 Healing Journaling Prompts To Help You Overcome Trauma & Heartache
35 Powerful Grief Journaling Prompts To Help You Overcome A Searing, Painful Loss!
25+ Fear Journaling Prompts To Help You Overcome Anxiety & Live Abundantly!
Journaling For Mental Clarity: How This Writing Craze Can Boost Your Mental Health
3) Social Self-Care
Spending time with your close friends and family can be extremely therapeutic.
It could be that you need to share a burden with your friends but social self-care doesn’t have to be heavy. It could be a game night or a spa night like I mentioned earlier!
Setting physical and emotional boundaries in your relationships with others is another critical part of self-care. It’s critical that your closest friends know your wants and dislikes and that you extend the same courtesies to them.
It is important that they know what you want to do or talk about. If you are uncomfortable talking about your feelings or trauma, you must also inform your closest friends.
So what are some examples of social self-care?
Knowing how to set boundaries with those around you is one way. Joining a club, group, or Bible class are also a few examples of social self-care.
You may feel better and happier if you’re not at home alone most of the time, even if you don’t feel lonely.
Here are some social self-care ideas:
Go to a new event and meet new people
Strike up a conversation with someone at work you’ve never talked to
Join an online dating app if you’re single
Plan a date night with your spouse
Have your friends over for a game night
You might also find this post helpful:
36 Encouraging Journal Prompts For Loneliness & 5 Practical Ways To Overcome It!
4) Spiritual Self-Care Ideas
Spiritual self-care is the most important form of self-care.
Why? Because this is how you connect with the One who created you.
When you truly connect with God through prayer and reading His word you find identity, purpose and meaning in life.
The world is good about telling you what and who you should be or believe and it can be so confusing and exhausting trying to live up to society’s standards.
It’s much better to find your identity in Jesus Christ. He won’t lie to you or reject you or hurt you.
Some examples of spiritual self-care might include spending time in nature, meditating on the Word, or praying.
And even gardening. Yes, gardening. I know when I garden and I think about the way God provides for us through something as small as a seed, it makes me grateful to Him for all He’s done!
Spending time with God through creative activities is another form of spiritual self-care.
Here are some spiritual self-care ideas to try:
Join a new life group at church
Start a new Bible study
Open the Bible up to a random spot and read what it says
Start a prayer journal
Get creative with Christian coloring sheets
Start Bible Journaling
Volunteer for a new ministry
Check out the blog posts below to see some Bible journaling posts:
8 Simple Bible Journaling Ideas To Deepen Your Devotional Time & Walk With Christ!
30 Christian Journaling Prompts To Elevate Your Faith & Get Closer To God!
3 Printable Bible Study Journals To Beautify Your Binder & Connect Deeper With God!
5) Personal Self-Care
Personal self-care is a form of self-improvement and personal growth. It can be one of the most helpful types of self-care. Personal self-care can include reflecting and learning from past mistakes, being creative, and setting goals.
Setting and achieving goals as well as creativity have a positive effect of increasing dopamine levels. Doing these things make you feel happier and more satisfied.
Setting goals for yourself can help you visualize a more positive outlook on life. Making goals and accomplishing them can increase your self-esteem, which is important for your mental health.
Some examples of personal self care are:
Trying a new hobby
Creating a bucket list
Completing a painting
6) Home Environmental Self Care
This is a huge part of self-care that I believe a lot of people don’t even consider.
How your home and environment looks plays a big part in your overall health. I can’t tell you what it does to my mental health when I look around me and the house is clean and smelling good.
It genuinely makes me happy! There’s something satisfying about being able to find what you need when you need it because your house is organized.
And this is not just about your house but also about your car and your work environment too. I know I love it when I clean my desk off at work.
It makes me more productive too. All of these things are vital part of self-care.
Here are some environmental self care ideas:
Choose a different drawer every day to declutter
Do a deep clean of one room in your house every month
Choose a closet to organize
Empty out your car trunk
Do some lawn landscaping
If you have clutter that you want help getting rid of read, my blog post below on decluttering:
Decluttering Motivation: How To Start When You’re Depressed & Overwhelmed (A How-To Guide)
7) Financial Self Care
You may not have thought of it but taking care of your financial health is self-care too.
Knowing your net worth, knowing how much debt you have and having a plan to eliminate it, having an emergency fund, building wealth…all of these things play a role in financial self-care.
Having debt is a huge weight on my shoulders and you probably feel the same. I was able to get out of thousands of dollars of debt but it’s so easy to slip back into it.
Now, I have a little debt (under $1,600) but even still it’s debt I don’t want to have so I need to take care of it because it’s a burden on my mind.
If you have debt, I urge you to create a plan to start paying it off.
Here are some financial self-care practices to try:
Watch videos about Bitcoin or investing
Create a budget plan
Make a debt elimination plan
Open an IRA retirement account
Calculate your network
Start a side hustle
Check out the articles below for help with debt and financial self-care:
5 Life Altering Money Mistakes Financially Independent Women Don’t Make
This Simple Money Saving Trick Can Save You Thousands Of Dollars Per Year!
21 Controversial Journaling Affirmations For Finances That Will Surprise You!
How To Stay Out Of Debt By Following These 3 Simple Tips
7 Cringe-Worthy Habits That Keep Christians From Living Debt Free
8) Intellectual Or Professional Self Care
So we can’t leave our brains out of the equation right?
We don’t want our brains to turn to mush so it’s important to stimulate our brains with different activities such as crossword puzzles or learning new things.
One of the things I love doing is learning new languages. I may not know any other languages fluently but I am definitely more than aquatinted with Spanish and French and can read enough in those languages to understand an article if need be.
Another great intellectual self-care activity is to level up your work skills. Get a new certification, learn new software, and attend a conference. These are all forms of self-care that you may not have thought of.
Here are some other ideas to add to your self care routine:
Improve your math skills
Read a nonfiction book
Learn how to play an instrument
Visit a museum
Watch a documentary
– Conclusion: What Self-Care Ideas Will You Try?
Self-care is scientifically proven to decrease anxiety and depression and improve concentration and mental clarity. It may also lessen anger and emotional outbursts/breakdowns. I know from personal experience that this is true.
It is critical to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and your mind. Self-care plays a big part in this.
There are many advantages to taking care of yourself and I hope this article has provided you with the tools to help you move forward and establish new routines that will benefit you now and in the future.
Let me know how this has assisted you and what you would like to see next?
– Free Download: Self-Care Journaling Bundle
We all know how important it is to set aside time for relaxation & self-care. Our mental health depends on it!
So if you’re looking for a relaxing escape from the anxieties & stresses of the crazy world we live in then enter your email to access our Renew Your Mind Mental Health Journaling Bundle!
What’s Included In The Renew Your Mind Mental Health Journaling Bundle:
– The Creative Rest Christian Coloring Book: These 5 beautiful coloring pages are accompanied by words of faith and inspiration designed to help you focus on the positive, relax your mind, and dwell on positive Christian affirmations.
– Joy Comes In The Mourning Grief Journal: If you’ve lost a loved one, then journaling is a tool you can use to begin to heal from your loss in a positive and healthy way
– The Stress-Less Anti-Anxiety Journal: This journal has a Count Your Blessings, Quiet Time With God, & Today I’m Feeling… pages as well as a Self-Care To-Do List & A Mini Day & Week Planner.
– 15% Discount Code to use on any product in the HAYC store!
Plus I add to this bundle all the time
Just enter your email address below and the Renew Your Mind Bundle link will be sent to your inbox!
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Medical Disclaimer: While Healthy As You Can strives to provide the most accurate information, anything you read on this site is purely for informational or entertainment purposes and should NOT be considered medical advice or as a replacement for a doctor’s care, diagnosis, appointment, advice, etc. I am not a medical professional at all. Any information, tips, or ideas that you try as a result of reading this blog is tried at your, the reader’s, own risk.
Mental Health Disclaimer: While I care deeply about your mental health, please know that I am NOT a licensed medical professional, therapist, counselor, social worker, or mental health professional. Any advice here is not to be taken as medical advice or a diagnosis. IF you need to talk to a licensed mental health professional you can use online-therapy.com (affiliate link) or call a mental health hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
