Self Care: Reducing stress and building body awareness.
How do you practice self-care?
Contrary to what you might think, self-care is not just about getting a massage or taking a bath, though those are certainly activities that can be forms of self-care.
Self-care is the daily process of caring for your physical and emotional needs, including activities that impact your relationships, routine and environment. It’s about taking an active role in protecting your well-being, not just during times of stress.
Including intentional self-care activities can help to reduce mental health symptoms, including stress, as well as help to improve work and school productivity and reduce burnout (1). Not only that, but actively meeting your basic needs and managing stress through self-care can also help you to connect to your body, and allow you to better recognize cues like hunger and fullness. When stress is heightened and self-care is low, your body activates it’s fight or flight system to survive, resulting in blood flow being diverted away from your digestive system and pushed to your extremities (to help with fleeing, or fighting the enemy) (2).
There are different types of self-care activities, and one activity I often do with clients is go through some of these different categories to see what areas you might be strong in, and what areas could use some attention. Looking at the area’s of self-care below, are there any categories that you think could use a little love?
Self Care Behaviours
Physical
I get enough sleep
I get regular medical and dental check-ups
I take time of work/school when I am sick
I wear clothes that feel comfortable
I take vacations
I engage in regular physical activity that I enjoy
Emotional & Psychological
I take time to reflect
I build non-judgemental awareness around my thought patterns and feelings
I write in a journal
I have comforting activities or hobbies
I make time to relax, and time to play
I seek therapy when needed
I have compassion for myself
Relationships
I spend time with people who bring me joy
I have someone in my life who listens
I stay in touch with those who are important to me
I spend time with loved ones
Spiritual
I spend time in nature
I take time to reflect
I participate in a community
I practice meditation or prayer
Boundaries
I set manageable schedules
I take breaks
I say no when needed
I set limits with family and friends
I set limits with work and volunteer responsibilities
I speak up when my boundaries are crossed
I aim for balance in all areas
Of course, this list is not all-encompassing, and maybe you can think of some activities you do that aren’t listed here, but that are forms of self-care for yourself. There are also activities that we do that can disrupt this self-care, but that’s a whole other post!
If you checked off multiple items in one category, but nothing in another, my challenge to you is to reflect on some strategies for ways you can add on activities. What are some other self-care activities you can think of?
References:
Cook-Cottone, Catherine. “Mindful Self-Care Scale: An Open Access Resource.” Catherine Cook-Cottone, Ph.D., August 25, 2020. https://www.catherinecookcottone.com/research-and-teaching/mindful-self-care-scale/.
Tribole, Evelyn, and Elyse Resch. The Intuitive Eating Workbook: Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food. Brattleboro, VT: Echo Point Books & Media, LLC., 2019.
