For Self-Care Week 2022, Philipa-Jo has been exploring self-care in our society, what it means to different people, and hopefully helping you to explore what it means for you. Now that we have delved into what self-care is, Philipa-Jo has put together some suggestions and things to think about, when starting your own self-care journey.
The Importance of self-care.
Throughout our lives we are constantly self-managing our physical and mental health and taking control of our lives and wellbeing can be empowering. Many of us possess the capacity to implement small changes within our lives (alongside other external help we might need) meaning we can take greater control over our wellbeing and how we feel about ourselves, encouraging longer, happier and more fulfilling lives. The great thing is, some of this can be as instant as you like and anyone can do it. Tailor it to you and your needs!
Potential barriers to self-care?
When thinking about your self-care it is important to recognise some of the potential barriers you might face, which could prevent you from achieving your goals. Think of what these barriers may be, and what strategies you are able to employ in overcoming them. Difficulties could be around cost, lack of time, perceived selfishness, motivation, guilt, needing more support from others, and not being aware of what self-care you need. Everyone deserves self-care, and creating healthy boundaries for yourself, and in your relationships with others may help address some of these barriers.
Recognising when self-care is not enough.
Although self-care is an important addition to healthy living and can lead us to feel a greater sense of peace and happiness within our lives, it cannot replace the professional healthcare support required for ill health. Remember to try and reach out to friends and family and ask for help if you are struggling, and seek professional support from your GP if you are feeling physically or mentally unwell or experiencing other symptoms.
How to start your self-care journey.
Self-care is an inclusive, open to all, you decide approach, to looking after your own health and wellbeing. It is individual to you, and your self-care plan may look very different to someone else’s. A good start is to identify in what areas in your life you might need or want to work on. This could be physical, social, emotional, environmental, intellectual, spiritual, or financial. There are a number of resources out there to help you explore this, and start your self-care journey – one being a self-care activity wheel.
Below are a few of my own self-care ideas that will hopefully inspire you.
- S – Small steps towards your goals, can shift how you feel, and they don’t have to be substantial to make an impact. Additionally, Sleep is another important aspect that is essential to our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
- E – Eat well, and Encourage others to look after their own self-care needs.
- L – Laughter, Watch a funny film or call a friend for a chat. Love yourself and be kind to yourself, don’t beat yourself up for things you did not do, and try to accept you cannot do everything. Some days even simple things may seem hard and you can try again tomorrow. Listen to your favourite piece of music or audiobook. Learning a new skill can also improve your confidence, as well as being fun, like learning to play an instrument or practising meditation.
- F – Friends and family. Reach out to friends if you can, if you are feeling stressed. Remember that it is ok to ask for help. Scheduled free time where you don’t have a schedule – feel into what you need at that time, you don’t always have to have a plan see where the moment takes you.
- C – Access your creativity, create something, bake a cake, write a ditty, or doodle. Ditch the comparisons and accept that your self-care will look different at different times, depending on your situation. Also, that they will differ from what your friends or colleagues might do.
- A – Schedule time for activities you enjoy, a good way to do this is think about all the things that make you happy and jot them down, so you can refer to it when you are feeling in need. Acknowledge your feelings, and acknowledge the changes you are making.
- R – Reconnect with your body, and breathe. Reconnect with friends, family or yourself – what did you like doing when you were little? Rest, remember to take a break, and if you can, reduce activities that can make you feel tired or disconnected from yourself such as limiting time on social media.
- E – Exercise in nature, go for a walk or get outside, do some gardening or visit some places that light you up and make you feel good.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog pieces this week, I hope they have given you some things to think about in relation to your own self-care.
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Author: Philipa-Jo
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