How Do I Take Care Of Myself & My Mental Health?
Self-care can be an essential aspect of everyday life, helping us focus on our needs—whether they’re related to our physical, mental, or emotional well-being—and participate in activities we find rewarding. But it can be hard to practice self-compassion when we also want to care for others. Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Even if a significant amount of your time and energy goes to helping others, you can still give yourself the attention you need and tend to your health. In this article, we’re going to talk about the importance of caring for yourself as you care for others and outline several easy ways you can practice self-care.
Importance of self-care for caretakers
Caretakers have a valuable role in society, which is providing compassion and support to those who need it. They’re typically spending time with people who are emotionally or physically vulnerable in some way. But caretakers need emotional support too. Caregiving (whether it involves providing support to an older adult, an infant, or an individual with an illness) can be both rewarding and taxing.
If you spend a large portion of your time helping others, it can be crucial to understand what physical and emotional needs you have as well. Research suggests that people who are high in empathy are more likely to neglect their own needs. However, nurturing others without providing yourself with compassion and attention could lead to burnout. Studies also show that people who are responsible for caring for others may have an increased need to focus on self-care.
Focusing on your own needs can help you not only avoid burnout but also support others effectively. As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Nourishing your body and mind can help you refill your cup so that you have the energy and motivation to give to others.
Self-care can be crucial when it comes to your mental and emotional well-being. Taking time to nurture yourself can help you process your emotions, reduce stress, and address mental health-related concerns. Self-care has been associated with reductions in depression, anxiety, and burnout.
You don't have to change who you are
One of the fears that may accompany an increased focus on yourself is that you might modify your character. You may want to stay the same person who values and cares for others. However, just because you take care of yourself doesn’t mean that you will neglect your loved ones. Remember that self-care isn’t selfish. It won’t change your personality or morals when you choose to preserve your mental and physical well-being. In fact, when you practice self-care, you can build strong boundaries, and you can be a better caretaker.
How do I take care of myself? Simple self-care practices
So, how do you take time for yourself when you also need to give others your attention? The following are self-care activities that you can implement into your daily life.
Exercise for physical and mental health
Your physical well-being can be especially important as you attempt to balance self-care with the care of others. Exercise can have a wide variety of benefits for your physical (and mental) health, including a reduced risk of illness, improvements in cognitive function, and an increased ability to perform everyday tasks. Physical activity can also provide you with more energy and strengthen your musculoskeletal system, which may help you get more done.
If you’d like to exercise more, consider doing activities you already enjoy, such as hiking, swimming, running, or playing an organized sport. This can help you engage with your passions while also taking advantage of the benefits of physical activity. You could also try joining a gym, going for frequent walks, or creating an at-home workout routine.
Eat a balanced diet
Consuming a diversity of nutritious foods can help you focus on your health while also allowing you to express your creativity through cooking. As with exercising, eating a balanced diet can provide numerous physical and mental health benefits. If you’re already busy, prepping healthful meals in batches can save you time. And if you’re looking for a nutritious meal plan, consider incorporating foods from the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, healthy fats, and lean meats.
Journal
Putting your thoughts and feelings down on paper can help you express yourself, organize your time, and even get a better night’s sleep. Writing in a journal allows you to process your feelings, potentially relieving stress and giving you an outlet for your emotions. Journaling can be a way to understand yourself as well as your connections with those around you. It also gives you the chance to set goals and track your progress toward achieving them over time.
Nourish your soul
While habits that are practical and healthy can be crucial facets of self-care, it can also be important to engage in enjoyable activities. Pursuing your passions when you aren’t working or caring for others can lead to numerous benefits, including reductions in stress, increases in energy, and enhanced creativity. Consider carving out time for yourself each day to do what you love, whether that is reading, painting, watching a movie, or taking a walk in a park.
Get plenty of sleep
A good night’s rest can positively influence your ability to care for yourself and others. Good sleep hygiene can boost your mood, enhance cognitive function, and defend you from disease. To establish a healthy sleep routine, it can help to go to bed and wake up at similar times each day. Additionally, try to keep your room cool while limiting the amount of light and noise you’re exposed to. It may also help to avoid your phone for an hour before bed.
Practice mindfulness
An increased awareness of the present can help you quiet your mind, reduce stress, and slow down. Mindfulness is a form of meditation focused on paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and environment. Mindfulness is thought to be an especially useful self-care technique for those who provide care to others.
To participate in a quick mindfulness exercise, find a quiet place to sit or lie down. While breathing deeply, bring your attention to your feelings. Are you happy, tired, cold, excited? Take note of what the space around you feels like. What sensations is it producing? Try to keep your thoughts on the present moment, gently bringing them back if they drift.
Talk to someone
Social support is a way of allowing others to give you the same care and attention that you give to them. Your friends, family members, and other loved ones can be a valuable outlet for your emotions. Additionally, they may have helpful insights into ways you can better care for yourself while caring for others. You can also talk to a mental health professional. A therapist can provide you with emotional support, help you develop effective self-care strategies, and address mental health-related challenges you may be experiencing.
Caring for yourself with online therapy
Research suggests that online therapy can be an effective way of helping individuals care for themselves. For example, in one study, researchers found that online cognitive behavioral therapy led to improvements in participants’ ability to overcome challenges, specifically mentioning the modality’s “availability and emphasis on self-care”. Additionally, the study notes the ability of online therapy to circumvent barriers like geographic limitations, high costs, and time constraints.
How do I take care of myself with online therapy and a self-care routine?
If you struggle with self-care or often put the needs of others before your own, a licensed therapist can help give you the attention you deserve. With an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can connect with a mental health professional remotely, which can be helpful if you already struggle to carve out time for yourself. Your therapist can also connect you with useful resources, such as informational articles geared toward helping you learn how to develop an effective self-care routine.
Takeaway
How do I start caring for myself?
Here are some ideas for self-care activities that you can do in your everyday life.
- Exercise. Exercise has many benefits for mental health, and it has many positive effects on physical health, too, like helping you maintain a healthy blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and support your immune system, which can lead to a longer life. Try joining a gym, going for a walk, or creating an at-home workout routine. To help you exercise regularly, try to find something fun to help you stay motivated. Try joining a sports team, hiking at a nearby park, or dancing in your living room to your favorite playlist.
- Eat a balanced diet. A diet that includes a variety of healthy foods has numerous benefits for your physical and mental health. The Mediterranean diet can be a good option if you’re looking for a nutritious food plan. It includes healthy fats, lean meats, and a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.
- Journal. Journaling can help you process your feelings, which may help you relieve your stress and help you sleep better. It can also help you set goals and track them over time.
- Nourish your soul. Establishing good eating and exercise habits can be good for your health, but it’s also essential to have some fun. Pursuing leisure activities, passions, and hobbies can help reduce your stress and help you feel energized. Take some time daily to do what you love, whether painting, writing, drawing, watching movies, or reading.
- Get plenty of sleep. Getting enough sleep can have many positive effects, including boosting positive emotions, enhancing cognitive function, and helping you take better care of yourself and others. Try to fall asleep and wake up at similar times every day, keeping your room cool, and limiting your screen time before bed.
- Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that focuses on your present thoughts, feelings, and environment. It can help manage stress and anxiety, quiet your mind, practice gratitude, and relax.
- Talk to someone. Reach out for social support from your friends and family. They can be a valuable outlet and give you insights into how to better care for yourself. Consider talking to a mental health professional who can help you develop self-care strategies and cope with any mental health challenges you may be facing.
Why do I struggle to take care of myself?
Self-care may be challenging for some people, and there are several reasons why. Self-care may seem like something indulgent or something only social media influencers do, but all it means is taking care of yourself. You might think proper self-care involves going to a spa or taking a weekend away, but it can be as simple as taking a long bubble bath or watching your favorite movie.
If you’re a caregiver, you may feel like putting yourself first means putting others last, but that is not necessarily the case. Taking care of your own physical and mental health helps you refuel so you can continue doing everything you do. It may be easy to keep pushing yourself to do more when caring for other people, but it can be essential to recognize when you need to refill your cup, so to speak.
What are the 7 pillars of self-care?
The seven pillars of self-care refer to the different areas in which you can integrate healthy practices into your life. They are as follows:
- Mental
- Emotional
- Physical
- Environmental
- Spiritual
- Recreational
- Social
What is true self-care?
True self-care can be different for everyone and can change depending on the day. The purpose of self-care is to focus on your needs, so true self-care is whatever helps you meet your needs in the moment. For example, if you’ve had a particularly stressful week and haven’t been sleeping well, self-care may look like a long bubble bath, a warm mug of herbal tea, and reading in bed before calling it an early night. Self-care may be a few minutes to sit quietly throughout the day to clear your head. If you have been busy with work and other commitments and haven’t seen your friends in weeks, self-care can be meeting your friends for dinner and drinks to catch up.
Why is lack of self-care bad?
If the point of self-care is to focus on your needs, then a lack of self-care can mean that your needs are not being met. You may be able to push through this for a few days or weeks. Eventually, though, unmet needs will catch up with you, and they can significantly affect your mood and health.
What's a self-care routine?
A self-care routine is something that you do for yourself to make sure you’re getting what you need. Everyone has different needs, so self-care routines can vary significantly from person to person. For some people, a self-care routine may include a manicure and a facial every two weeks, while others may need to take a long walk or run after they get home from work every day.
Why do I feel too lazy to take care of myself?
Many people may struggle with self-care because they feel like they should be doing something else. It can feel like there’s always something that should take precedence over self-care, but taking time out to take care of your needs does not make you lazy.
What are bad self-care habits?
Any self-care is better than no self-care, but one thing that can become a bad habit is waiting too long to focus on your needs. If you are a caregiver, it can be very easy to keep pushing through when you feel tired or stressed, but knowing when to stop and dedicate some time to your overall health is important.
What is it called when you can't take care of yourself?
Incapacity may be a word to describe someone who can’t take care of themself. This term is generally used to apply to people who are unable to perform even basic activities of daily living, like eating, getting dressed, or performing hygiene tasks.
How to improve mental health?
Self-care can be an effective way to improve mental health. When you dedicate time to meeting your own needs, it can help you face daily stressors more effectively. If you have a mental health condition or aren’t sure where to start, talking to a therapist can also help.
- Previous Article
- Next Article