What is self-care?

Self-care is defined in the Dictionary of Nursing as “the practice of activities that are necessary to sustain life and health, normally initiated and carried out by the individual for him or herself”.

To put it simply, self-care is about caring for yourself in ways that improve your mental and physical health whilst reducing stress. Self-care is an essential way of showing yourself some kindness, love and nourishment.

Self-care looks different to each individual, what may make one individual relaxed may make another individual anxious. Unfortunately, self-care is often viewed as a self-indulgent luxury, but self-care is a necessity, it does not need to be expensive and it is accessible for everyone. For example, taking the time to go for a walk, in the morning or after work, can be hugely beneficial for your overall wellbeing.

Self-care is not about forcing yourself to do things that you “think” you should be doing with society’s pressures and expectations; such as doing a gruelling workout routine, 1-hours meditation and hitting 10,000 steps every day (unless of course that is what makes you feel great then go for it!). Find something that does not feel like another thing to be ticked off your list, remove the guilt and find something you actually enjoy doing.

Why is self-care important?

Self-care is beneficial for everyone as it makes you the best version of yourself, leading you to become more productive and successful. We can so often become burnt out, run down and stressed when life becomes busy and demanding. Prioritising self-care can motivate you to take a break and do something with the sole purpose of focusing on your wants and needs.

When you take steps to care for your mind and body, you will be better equipped to live your best life and become more resilient. Building resilience towards life's stressors is vital to self-care (Scott, 2019). Unfortunately, not of us are immune from challenging times and situations. Incorporating self-care into our lives can make us more resilient when facing stress, loss and other life challenges, whether good or bad. Self-care can help us recover from these struggles.

When will I find the time for self-care?

We often make excuses, such as not having the time for self-care, which is essentially saying that you do not have time to prioritise your mental and physical health. When you say it like that to yourself, I bet you realise that that may not actually be true.

How can I include self-care in my life?

I recommend first reflecting on what self-care looks like to you and what makes you feel good, whether that is taking a bath, going to the gym or reading. Think of when you last felt relaxed or happy, what were you doing? Create a list of the things that pop into your head for you to refer and add to in the future. Even if you are unsure of some of your thoughts or ideas, write them down anyway, we want your self-care toolkit to be as broad and varied as possible. Having this toolkit will help inspire you when you are time poor.

Creating a self-care plan can seem quite daunting when we all struggle to find time, however, when self-care is made a priority you will function more efficiently and effectively. Take time to accomplish one ‘task’ of your self-care list each week, until it gradually becomes a part of your daily routine. Scheduling will help to assist this with this as it allows you to prioritise the things most important to you, find time to do the things you love and improve your efficiency.

When you are scheduling your day or week, ensure that you plan your ‘me time’ before anything else. If you struggle to decide on a specific self-care activity, simply block out a time in your diary and just focus on what makes you feel good at that moment in time.

Your self-care plan should be tailored to your personal needs and what makes you feel good; it is also worth assessing which areas of your life need more attention. We require different forms of self-care at different times in our life. You will need to reassess your self-care often, as your life situation changes, your self-care needs will shift too.

Emily has shared her self-care toolkit below, she tries to complete one of these activities daily, where possible.

You may find it useful to refer to the self-reflection activity created by Balance Life Well, the ‘Self-Care Plan’, which prompts you to reflect on how you can make self-care a part of your routine.

What is on your self-care toolkit and how do you include self-care in your routine?