Self-care can mean different things to different people. According to the World Health Organization self-care is defined as “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider.

Anything can be considered self-care when it comes to taking care of yourself, whether that be physically or mentally. This sounds simple enough, but you would be surprised by the fact that many people struggle with self-care.

Nowadays people struggle with self-care because they are busy with their everyday lives. Often times, our lives can be consumed by outside factors and we neglect both our physical and mental states. That is why it is important that we practice self-care to improve the quality of our lives.

The Importance of Self-care

Self-care is so important for our overall mental and physical health. If we do not take care of ourselves, we cannot function in our everyday lives.

It is important to note that self-care can come in a variety of forms. It can be as simple as taking a bubble bath at the end of a very long and stressful day.

Self-care encourages having a healthy relationship with yourself and others. It promotes taking care of yourself and nurturing the relationships you have with people.

The Benefits of Self-Care

There are many benefits to self-care, they are:

–       Can improve your physical health. Self-care can include eating healthy, working out, and living an overall healthy life. All of that can improve your physical health and boost your immune system.

–       Can improve your mental health. Self-care can improve your mental health drastically. When you take time for yourself and are compassionate with yourself, your mental health will improve. Partaking in self-care activities like yoga, meditation, and reading can boost your mood and improve the quality of your life.

–       Improves your self-esteem. Taking care of yourself can be extremely beneficial for your self-esteem because it boosts your self worth.

–       Encourages self-improvement. Self-care is a way of improving your life. Exercising and eating healthy can be very beneficial for a person’s overall health. Also, a lot of the aspects of self-care promotes self-improvement.

–       Helps with managing stress. When stressed, self-care can be extremely helpful and beneficial. Taking a break from everyday stressors and taking a bath is a form of self-care. It can help ease the mind and gives you a chance to relax and manage your stress.

Types of Self-Care

There are 6 types of self-care, they are:

1.     Emotional Self-care

Emotional self-care is defined as participating in the process of connecting and reflecting on a full range of emotions.

Examples: making art, writing in a journal, playing music, meditation, do things you enjoy, and practicing self-compassion.

2.     Practical Self-care

Practical self-care is doing tasks that complete the main aspects of your life in order to prevent future stressors.

Examples: creating a budget, organizing your closet, and organizing your life.

3.     Physical Self-care

These are activities you do to improve your physical health.

Examples: exercising, eating healthy, staying hydrated, and sleeping the full 8 hours.

4.     Mental Self-care

These are activities that help stimulate the mind.

Examples: Solving puzzles, reading a book, playing chess etc.

5.     Social Self-care

Activities where you nurture the relationships you have with the people in your life.

Examples: Hanging out with friends, spending time with family, etc.

6.     Spiritual Self-care

Are activities where you do things to nurture your spirit. It can be religious but does not have to be.

Examples: Yoga, meditation, being in nature, going to places of worship.

The Benefits of Physical Self-care

A lot of people struggle with physical self-care. Our lives can get in the way of us taking care of our bodies. But it is so crucial that we take care of our body because if our body fails, we fail. There are many benefits to physical self-care, such as:

–       Low stress levels

–       Better sleep

–       Better mood

–       Lower risk of diabetes

–       Better circulation

–       Stronger bones

The Benefits of Mental Self-care

Mental self-care is giving yourself a break from everyday stressors. Taking regular mental self-care breaks can help you manage the day better. There are also many other benefits to mental self-care such as:

–       Helps with easing depression and anxiety symptoms

–       Can help you with managing everyday life

–       For some people, it can help with getting rid of symptoms of depression and anxiety

Self-care tips to improve the quality of your life

1.     Get enough sleep. Studies have shown that a person must get 8 hours of sleep to have a healthy life. Having a quality good night’s sleep will help improve the quality of your life immensely. If you have trouble falling asleep, try to drink warm milk, eat a banana, or drink chamomile tea. These things have shown to help with sleep.

2.     Eat healthy. It is so important to eat healthy because that can also improve the quality of your life. Eating healthy can reduce your risk of getting many health problems and issues. It can also improve your physical and mental state. There are many easy and tasty healthy recipes out there online to try out. Pinterest is notorious for having these recipes so check them out.

3.     Exercise. Exercising can help with leading a healthy and quality rich life. It can help improve energy and boost your mood. Exercising can include anything from going to the gym or going for a walk. Exercise is extremely important to improve the quality of your life.

Self-care can also include taking care of your skin and appearance. If you want, you can check out this post about DIY Oatmeal Face Masks for a relaxing and self-care day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Binet is a beauty and skincare blogger. She helps people with resolving any skin or beauty issues they may face. You can check out her blog here.