Everyone knows self-care is important, but so many of us are so busy taking care of everyone else that we neglect ourselves. Deciding on what self-care looks like for you and what practices you want to implement is an important first step. The best way to start your journey of better self-care is to have a good understanding of what self-care is. In this blog we will break down the three types of self-care and give you self-care tips for each category.

1. Physical Self-Care

Exercising and eating well are needed to keep a healthy body, but physical self-care doesn’t end there. Being physically active is key to physical well-being but knowing when to rest physically is also just as important. Very few of us are taught how to listen to our bodies to recognize the cries of “I need rest”.

Our society has made it okay and even expects that one should prioritize what needs to be done when our bodies are at their limit. My perspective is that our bodies are sacred based on the simple fact that it is the vessels that contains our soul.

If you are going commit to achieving overall health, we recommend starting with improving your physical wellbeing. Areas to focus on are remaining active, eating more natural foods, improving health issues when possible, getting enough sleep consistently, taking care of your skin, hair and nails.

Here are some examples and tips for physical self-care:

• Go for a walk, run or a bike ride

• Find an activity you enjoy that will keep you active such as dancing, swimming or playing sports.

• Take a nap when you haven’t slept enough or go to bed early.

• Take a warm bath with your favorite bath products such as bath bombs, bath salts, bath tea or bath oil.

• Pamper you body with a massage, body scrub or body treatment. Check out our body products that are perfect for pampering yourself.

 

2. Emotional Self Care

Emotional well being and balance is one of the toughest things to achieve. When life is full of ups and downs, good and bad interactions with other people, ridding on an emotional roller coaster is inevitable.

Mastering one’s emotions often take us on a long journey that is not always successful, however, making little changes that can easily be applied each day is an effective way to reduce the impact of negative emotions on our wellbeing.

Here are some examples and tips for emotional self-care:

• Use journaling as a way to let it all out.

It doesn’t have to make sense or even look organized, you just need to transfer your emotions on to paper. I have used this since I was a teenager during the times I had no friends and no one to talk to about my frustrations with family. It was a life saver!

• Use mantras, prayers or affirmations during the moments of high emotions to shift out of what you are feeling and bring down the intensity. This does not always mean that saying a mantra will make your emotions disappear but at least it can bring it down a level and put you in a better space.

• Use meditation (when your emotions are not high) to spend some time reflecting on why you feel a certain way, why you were triggered, or if there is a subconscious issue that you need to better understand.

3. Mental Self-Care

Self-care for mental health involves anything that impacts you mind and psychological state.

Keeping your mind in balance is central to overall wellbeing. Mental health issues like stress and depression are what most people think about but the way you thinks, the things you think about, and the internal conversations you have with yourself are rarely the focus of mental self-care.

Here are some examples and tips for mental health:

• Listen to music to stop a negative train of thought or to bring your stress level down

• Read a book to distract and relax your mind

• Write down the thoughts that are worrying you especially the infamous to-do list. Getting them organized on paper and coming up with a plan can help reduce worry and the fog of running thoughts .

 

Use these ideas to put together a plan for the changes you will make to take better care of yourself and improve your wellbeing.