Why Self-Care Is Important and 20 Simple Yet Powerful Activities
Why is Self-Care Important?
Adulthood comes with a lot of responsibilities. Work, bills, family - the list goes on. It's easy to get caught up in taking care of everything and everyone else that you forget to take care of yourself. It may be hard for you to make time do to things that make you happy and feel relaxed. You may ask yourself, "Why is self-care important?"
To feel at peace in your hectic routine, you should make a little time for yourself.
If not every day, try taking some time to focus on self-care activities every week. Practicing self-care lifts your mood. If you don't know anything about self-care, we got you. This article will unveil the details of self-care and why self-care is essential.
So, let's dig further!
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What is Self-Care?
Self-care refers to activities you do to attend to yourself with the goal of improving your mental and emotional health.
The goal is to attain and then maintain well-being. It is important when choosing self-care activities that they allow you to deepen the connection to have to yourself through the practice of self-awareness and self-reflection. The activity should be one that allows you to think about and work through stressors and not avoid them.
Adopting a self-care routine can help improve your depression and stress.
Why is Self-Care Important For You?
You may not realize the importance of self-care. It is essential for your mental and emotional well-being. When you don't take care of yourself, it can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Self-care can help prevent these problems from developing or getting worse.
Self-care should be at the top of your to-do list.
Self-care can:
Help prevent compassion fatigue
Allow you to recharge
Reduces stress
Build resiliency
Promotes positive coping skills
Help prevent burnout
Contributes to a positive outlook
If you are reluctant to start a regular self-care routine. Consider some of the benefits listed below.
Makes You Resilient
Resiliency is the ability to withstand difficult situations. When you practice self-care, you are able to work on skills that contribute to resiliency such as in identify the parts of a stressful experience that you can control, developing a compassionate interpretation of stressful experiences, and developing optimism. (Herrman 2011)
This can lead to a positive change in your decision-making power too. Instead of feeling angry and avoidant, you feel able to calmly and thoughtfully respond to challenging situations. Moreover, you can make choices without compromising your happiness.
Better Self-Esteem
Self-esteem has two components. First is the belief that you are able to overcome challenges and accomplish tasks. The second is feeling accepted by yourself and others. Doing self-care activities can help increase your self-esteem. When self-esteem is high it can act as a buffer against stressful situations in your life. (Cast 2002)
Less Stress and Anxiety
Self-care helps you in stress reduction and lowers your anxiety. Don't know how?
When your activity involves relaxing your muscles it can decrease the release of stress hormones. Diaphragmatic breathing can help decrease the activity of the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for "fight or flight" responses. (Halm, 2009)
Examples of Self Care
Self-care activities invigorate the mind and spirit. It is important to do activities that you enjoy and make you feel good.
Here are a few examples of different types of self-care activities:
20 Self-Care Activities:
Go for a walk
Go for a run
Lift weights
Take an exercise class
Cook
Bake
Drink Tea
Take a shower
Take a bath
Sit outside
Yoga
Tai Chai
Meditate
Pray
Draw
Write
Read motivation poems
Read affirmations
Listen to music
Spend time with your pet
What Self Care Isn’t
Self-care is any activity that you find emotionally restorative. It is not a way to numb your emotions or avoid your stressors. It is not an activity that provides temporary relief but is harmful overall or in the long run.
Some activities that may seem like self-care, but are actually harmful coping mechanisms are:
Substance abuse / Using drugs recreationally
Overspending
Excessive gambling
Binge eating
Watching television for hours
Eating unhealthy foods
Binge drinking
Smoking cigarettes
Overworking
Over-exercising
Two Common Mistakes When Choosing Self-Care Activities:
Prioritizing Others Over Yourself
It is imporant to be selfless and at times do things other people enjoy. Your self-care activity has to be something you enjoy doing. It is important to adopt an activity that makes you feel happy.
It is imporant to prioritize yourself and give yourself time to take care of yourself. If you don't take care of yourself, you will not be able to take care of others.
Overspending
You may think that spending money on relaxing activities is self-care.
Spending too much can make you feel stressed later. So, make sure you invest in things that help you grow and not in things that bring you temporary happiness and debt later. There are plenty of self-care activities you can do for free or that are inexpensive.
How to Start a Self-Care Routine
In deciding to begin a self-care routine, taking the first step is usually the hardest. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Which Activity Makes You Happy
The primary step in getting started with your self-care journey is finding out your interests.
For this purpose, you need to explore different things and select the one that you find the most relaxing.
Write all the things you enjoy on a notepad. Test out each activity to see which leaves you feeling the most in control and accomplished.
How You Can Fit The Activity Into Your Schedule
In the next step, consider incorporating these things into your daily routine. Take a little time from your hectic schedule and begin doing the activity for 10 minutes a day. Practice it daily for one week.
Evaluate Yourself After Seven Days
Evaluate yourself after completing the one-week trial of your daily practice. See if you feel any positive changes.
If yes, then take this change as motivation and keep going for a month and then for a year.
If no, try a different activity until you find the best one for you.
Conclusion
Self-care is an important aspect of your life. It helps you in many ways such as reducing stress and improving your mood. There are many activities you can engage in that will allow you to practice self-care. Be patient and allow yourself the time to find the ones that work best for you. Start with slowly incorporating the activity into part of your daily routine until it becomes a habit.
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Citation:
Barnett, Jeffrey E., and Natalie Cooper. “Creating a Culture of Self-Care.” Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, vol. 16, no. 1, 2009, pp. 16–20., https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2009.01138.x.
Cast, Alicia D., and Peter J Burke. “A Theory of Self-Esteem*.” Social Forces, vol. 80, no. 3, ser. 1041-1068, Mar. 2002. 1041-1068, https://doi.org/https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.541.6264&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
Denyes, Mary J., et al. “Self-Care: A Foundational Science.” Nursing Science Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 1, 2001, pp. 48–54., https://doi.org/10.1177/089431840101400113.
Halm, Margo A. “Relaxation: A Self-Care Healing Modality Reduces Harmful Effects of Anxiety.” American Journal of Critical Care, vol. 18, no. 2, 2009, pp. 169–172., https://doi.org/10.4037/ajcc2009867.
Herrman, MD, Helen. “What Is Resilience?” The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 56, no. 5, 2011. 258–265, https://doi.org/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/070674371105600504.
Lev, Elise L., and Steven V. Owen. “A Measure of Self-Care Self-Efficacy.” Research in Nursing & Health, vol. 19, no. 5, 1996, pp. 421–429., https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1098-240x(199610)19:5<421::aid-nur6>3.0.co;2-s.
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