There is no definite definition for "self-care".
The definition of self-care varies from person to person. Generally speaking, self-care is the way of practice and an attitude for yourself by giving yourself the time and attention to take care of yourself, mentally, emotionally and physically.
Self-care is more than just taking yourself on a walk in the park. It involves your body, mind, and spirit and also all other aspects of your life. Self-care helps in self-discovery, healing from past traumas or wounds and growing yourself into your better version. Here are 5 types of self-care you can do for yourself at any time.
1. Physical Self-Care
Physical self-care is the way you take care of your physical well-being and your health by not ignoring your body's needs, especially when you are sick. It is the action of being physically active, eating well, getting enough rest and all the ways of taking care of your physical health. Physical self-care is also about not harming your body in any way, such as not taking drugs or drinking alcohol and not binge on unhealthy food.
2. Emotional Self-Care
Emotional self-care is about acknowledging, recognizing, reacting to and expressing our emotions in a healthy and positive way. We are human and we have emotions for a reason. Instead of beating yourself up for having negative emotions, you should be gentle with yourself. Take a moment to ask yourself and understand why you are having a certain emotion, recognize what causes it and find positive ways to cope with it.
3. Mental Self-Care
Mental self-care is about taking care of our minds. Our minds are really powerful. It can be separated into the conscious and unconscious levels. Whether you like it or not, your mind will indirectly absorb every information you come in contact with and store it into the subconscious level. Thus, we have to be careful and mindful of what we are letting into our minds.
4. Spiritual Self-Care
Spirituality is all about having a deeper sense of connection, meaning or understanding of the universe. Spiritual self-care is the act of connecting with your inner spirit and nurturing it. One does not need to be extremely religious to practice spiritual self-care.
Everyone has their own way of getting in touch with their inner selves. Some of the most common ways are meditation, practice gratitude or going out into nature.
5. Social Self-Care
Social self-care focuses on one's relationships with people and socialization. By this, helping others with their needs is not really an act of social self-care. Social self-care is more on the act of purely enjoying the process of socializing with others in your social circle. For example, having a girls' night out with friends or be part of a club that you are interested in. Whichever action of socializing you choose, make sure to also set boundaries for yourself so that you are not harming yourself or any other person in any way.
All in all, self-care is really important for our own well-being, be it physically or mentally. Take care, guys!
