Self-Care

Self-Care 

The term self-care has been used in a number of ways so I want to share what it means to me. To me, self-care is taking steps to care for our physical and mental health. I believe we can do these in a number of ways:

Food and Exercise

            Perhaps the most talked about yet under-rated advice I can give you is to just make sure you are exercising regularly and eating adequate and nutritious food. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise on its own can help decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve overall health while certain vitamin deficiencies can worsen symptoms. As an MFT, I am not qualified to determine what foods you should eat or how much exercise you need. I highly recommend speaking to a doctor to make sure you are giving your body what it needs.

Rest

            We as a society are often so focused on what we should be doing next – developing a side-hustle, getting that promotion at work, chores, errands, volunteer work, social engagements – that we forget to make time to rest. Many of us even feel guilty when we rest or even unsettled. But our bodies need rest to recharge. Our physical and mental health will suffer if we are not getting adequate sleep at night or taking time during the week to just breathe and exist. I highly recommend scheduling rest periods into your weekly calendar.

Play

            Adults need and deserve to have fun! Hit up an arcade. Play your favorite video game. Join a sports team. Paint. Color. Dance. Read. Do whatever “play” is to you but my suggestion is to do it without expectation. Play can accidentally become work when we set goals or turn it into a side hustle. If you paint, paint for the joy of painting instead of the outcome of the artwork. If you play a sport, play to have fun not just to win. If you dance, dance wildly and freely. I invite you to play the way that children play, without any purpose other than pure enjoyment. 

Nurture Yourself

            When you are having a rough day, think about how a loving parent might nurture their child after a bad day at school. Put on a comfy outfit, slip under a soft blanket, curl up on the couch, and watch your favorite movie while eating your favorite snack and drinking a yummy drink. Listen to some calming music. Take a warm bath. Put your phone on silent for a couple hours and temporarily tune out the world. Just do something to show yourself some love and kindness.

Being Productive

We often think of self-care as rest, play, or self-indulgence and sometimes this is true. However, sometimes, the best thing we can do for ourselves is just get things done. If you have a number of tasks that are looming over you causing you stress, and you’ve been struggling with procrastination or time management, the most helpful thing you can do for yourself might be to make a to-do list and set aside a day to just complete as many tasks as possible. Make the doctor’s appointment you’ve been meaning to make, organize your space, meal-prep, etc. Although you may be tired at the end of the day, you will likely also feel relieved or rejuvenated knowing you can move through the rest of your week with less on your plate.

Basic Needs

When someone is struggling with severe depression or other mental health disorders, often self-care simply surviving. If you are in a major depressive episode, the best form of self-care may be brushing your teeth, eating anything you can stomach, taking a shower, changing your clothes, or any other task that just helps you get from one day to the next. If you feel that basic tasks are hard, it is also extremely important to talk to a doctor or a psychiatrist in addition to a mental health professional.

Get Help

            Asking for help is one of the best ways to take care of ourselves. This could look like asking a partner to help with the dishes, a boss to help with workload, a friend to provide emotional support, making a doctor’s appointment for a health concern, or scheduling a consultation with a therapist. If you are struggling with your mental health, you need support. Suffering alone rarely, if ever, makes things better. It is a sign of bravery, not weakness, to let others know that you are going through a hard time and ask for back up!