Did you know there are different areas of self-care that you should focus on regularly? It’s a good idea to include the 6 different types of self-care into your daily routine if you want to live a truly happier and healthier life.
Making small changes in your life and being intentional in these areas can turn self-care routines into habits.
It’s important to know what those 6 types are and I’m going to give you tips in each area.
1. Emotional self-care
Emotional self-care can help you to live a much happier life. One of the main challenges for a lot of people is controlling their emotions. Without being in control, you can quickly find they start to take over, affecting your relationships.
The good news is it is possible to get more in tune with your emotions. Emotional self-care focuses on activities that help you to connect, reflect and process your emotions.
Here are some tips for emotional self-care:
Learn to become more self-aware: By becoming more aware of your emotions, you’ll find it easier to control them.
Start a journal: Write down the emotions you experience throughout the day. Discuss what you felt, what time it was, and what triggered the emotion. This will help you to identify any patterns in your emotions and the triggers you should avoid.
Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is a popular form of self-care. It helps you to focus on the present, calming the mind and body. Practicing mindfulness will help you to better regulate your emotions.
You’ll also be able to use it to control your emotions when needed. For example, if you start to feel overly anxious, you can calm your mind by taking deep, mindful breaths.
Talk to a therapist: You may need to talk through any issues you are experiencing with a therapist. Emotions can be powerful and difficult to control; especially if you are dealing with a mental illness.
By talking things through with a professional, they can help to give you a new perspective, as well as help you to better understand and control your emotions.
Listen to music: Music can have a powerful effect on our emotions. It has an instant effect, helping you to feel happier, energized, relaxed or sad depending upon the type you listen to.
Listening to music can be a great way to control and calm your emotions when needed. If you want to feel happier, throw on your favorite music. Or, to relax the mind, listen to instrumental music. Classical music is always a good option.
2. Physical self-care
Physical self-care relates to activities that help to improve your physical health. It could involve losing weight, making healthier lifestyle choices, or getting fitter. The healthier the body is, the lower your risk of developing an illness or disease.
Here are some tips for physical self-care:
Drink more water – It’s important to stay hydrated throughout the day. Without adequate water intake, the organs of the body won’t function correctly. So, start by increasing the amount of water you drink each day.
To know how much water you should be drinking, divide your weight in half. You need that many ounces of water every day. For example, if you weigh 100 pounds you would need to drink 50 oz of water daily.
Go for a walk – Staying active is crucial for peak physical health. However, you don’t have to spend hours in the gym. Getting out for a nice walk can do wonders for your physical and mental health. I am always amazed at how great my mood changes after taking a walk.
Get enough sleep – Sleep is a crucial part of physical self-care. If you want to live a long and healthy life, you need sleep.
Eat more home-cooked healthy meals – Skip the takeouts and prepare your meals packed full of vegetables. It’s also kinder on your budget. Win-Win!
Increase your fruit intake – To stay in great physical shape, the body needs plenty of nutrients. Increase your fruit intake by swapping them with unhealthy snacks.
3. Practical self-care
Practical self-care relates to tasks that fulfill the core aspects of your life. It is about avoiding potentially stressful situations not just in the moment but in the future as well. Your finances, career, and home organization skills fit into this area.
Here are some tips for practical self-care:
Create and follow a budget – This will help you get a grip on your finances.
Open a savings account – Saving toward the future is a great self-care goal. So, if you don’t already have one, open a new savings account.
Take a professional development course – Progressing in your career can open more opportunities and make you happier.
Organize your closet – Sell or donate any clothes you no longer wear and organize your closet space. You might be surprised how beneficial this can be for the mind and space.
Declutter– Take control of your home by decluttering an area that needs attention. If you are very limited on time, set a timer for 10 minutes every day and earnestly tackle that area in those minutes. Before long you will see a big change and you will feel a huge sense of accomplishment.
4. Mental self-care
One of the most common areas of self-care that most people want to improve is mental self-care. This relates to activities that help to clear the mind and boost the mood. Mental health issues are especially prevalent now more than ever so figuring out ways to improve your mental state is crucial.
Here are some mental self-care tips you can use as an example:
Read a book – Reading a book can help distract the mind. It is a relaxing activity that can help you briefly escape into another world. You could also read self-help books to boost your self-care efforts.
Take a day trip – Sometimes it can really help to just get away from everything for a few hours. Take a day trip somewhere new and see just how much better you feel when you return home.
Solve puzzles – Another great mental self-care tip is to solve puzzles. This can help boost mental focus, helping to prevent conditions such as Dementia in later life.
Start a gratitude journal – A gratitude journal is known to have wonderful effects on your mental health. It trains the brain to become more positive. Writing in a gratitude journal for 21 days can have a significant impact on your mental well-being. If you want more information on this, check out my story of keeping a gratitude journal for 30 days and how it was a game changer.
5. Social self-care
Social self-care focuses on nurturing your relationships. Healthy friendships are crucial to our well-being. There have been numerous studies that have shown the importance of good social connections in terms of our health and wellbeing. So, what type of self-care tasks can you do to improve these social connections?
Here are some social self-care activities you can try:
Make time to call family – Set a regular time to call family to catch up. It could be calling your mom once a week or giving your grandfather a call. Maintaining family connections is very important.
Set up a lunch date with friends – If you need to spend more time with friends, start by
setting up a lunch date. This gives you a great opportunity to catch up.
Join a new local class – If you need to make new friends, joining a local class can help. It could be a local exercise class or a hobby such as painting or dancing.
6. Spiritual self-care
Spirituality is living out your personal morals, values, and beliefs. Spiritual self-care is about connecting to a higher power outside of yourself and practicing your morals and values.
Here are some tips for spiritual self-care activities you may want to try:
Prayer – Take time to connect with God or the higher power you believe in.
Worshiping – If you believe in God, worshiping can help you feel more aligned with who you are, whether you are worshiping in church with many or in the middle of a field completely by yourself. It can also help to strengthen your relationship with God.
Gratitude – Take time every day to be grateful for your blessings. Even on bad days, there are still things to be grateful for, and practicing gratitude can change everything.
Self-reflection – Practicing self-reflection can help you to understand who you are and what matters to you. You’ll also be able to identify any areas you need to improve on.
Random Acts of Kindness- Doing kind things for others helps you focus on caring for others and their needs while reminding you how blessed you are.
These six main areas of self-care are worth focusing on. The key to mastering good self-care practices is to get into the habit of doing something in each area daily even if it is something quick and simple. I hope this has been helpful for you. Be your best every day.
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