Self-care is all about caring after oneself. It entails taking the time to care for your physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health. Practicing self-care is extremely important because it allows you to help and care for others, work successfully, and accomplish everything you need and want to do in a day: in other words, be the best version of yourself.

According to Paula Gill Lopez, PhD, an associate professor in the department of psychological and educational consultation at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, the importance of self-care is evident. “We have an epidemic of anxiety and depression,” she claims. “Everybody feels it.”

Kelsey Patel, a wellness consultant located in Los Angeles, believes that self-care is part of the solution to how we may all better manage with daily challenges. It’s work stress, the stress of trying to keep up with the fast pace of modern life, which technology has accelerated more than ever. “People are feeling lonelier and less able to unwind and slow down, which makes them feel more anxious and overwhelmed by even the simplest tasks,” Patel elaborates.

Continue reading to learn more about self-care, including why it is so important, what it comprises, and how it may improve your overall health.

What Is Self-Care?

Several organizations and researchers take a health-oriented approach when defining self-care. The World Health Organization defines self-care 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 worker.”

According to this definition, self-care includes everything related to staying physically healthy — including hygiene, nutrition, and medical care when needed. It’s all the steps you can take to manage the various stressors in your life and take care of your health and well-being.

Self-care requires checking in with yourself about how you’re doing physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some people use it to deal with difficult news stories, while others practice self-care just to maintain their happiness day to day.

Self-care does not mean the same thing for everyone. Different people will adopt different self-care practices, and even your own definition might change over time. “What is self-care for one person will likely differ from someone else, and what’s self-care for you one day might not feel like self-care another day,” says Marni Amsellem, PhD, a licensed psychologist based in the greater New York metropolitan area.

Regular self-care may help you put your best foot forward. “When we are regularly taking care of ourselves, we are better able to react to the things that go on in our lives,” Dr. Amsellem says. “It’s something we do to maintain positive well-being.”

A study published in 2018 took self-care to mean “the self-initiated behavior that people choose to incorporate to promote good health and general well-being.” The study authors added that it’s about being healthy but also about incorporating coping strategies to deal with work stressors.

As self-care has become more mainstream, the definitions have started to become more about general well-being and tend to focus on tuning in to one’s needs and meeting those needs. “Self-care is anything that you do for yourself that feels nourishing,” says Amsellem.

“That can be something that’s relaxing or calming, or it can be something that is intellectual or spiritual or physical or practical or something you need to get done,” she says.

The International Self-Care Foundation also includes health literacy as a pillar of self-care, meaning that any steps you take toward better understanding health information you need to make appropriate decisions about your health and well-being counts as self-care, too.

Types of Self-Care

There are several types of self-care. It typically includes physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects.

“Self-care could be anything that floats your boat — anything that puts a smile on your face,” said Gill Lopez, a doctor. “Anything that makes you feel cared for, even if it’s you caring for yourself.”

Here are the five primary types of self-care.

1. Physical Self-Care

We need to take care of our bodies if we want them to run efficiently. Remember that there’s a strong connection between our body and our mind. When we care for our bodies, we’ll think and feel better, too.

Physical self-care includes fueling your body, getting enough sleep, doing enough physical activity, and caring for your physical needs. Attending healthcare appointments, taking medication as prescribed, and managing your health are all part of good physical self-care.

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“Exercise is a tangible instance where you can observe the payoff of your perseverance towards a goal,” says clinical psychologist Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD. “You can push past the limitations of your mind and prove to yourself you may be stronger than you previously thought. This is one of the ways exercise helps with confidence and resilience.”

2. Social Self-Care

Socialization is key to self-care. But, often, it’s hard to make time for friends, and it can be easy to neglect our relationships when life gets busy. Close connections are important to your well-being. The best way to cultivate and maintain close relationships is to put time and energy into building our relationships with others.

There isn’t a certain number of hours you should devote to your friends or work on your relationships. Everyone has slightly different social needs. The key is to figure out what your social needs are and to build enough time in your schedule to create an optimal social life.

3. Mental Self-Care

The way we think and the things that we’re filling our minds with greatly influence our psychological well-being. Mental self-care includes doing things that keep your mind sharp, like puzzles or learning about a subject that fascinates you. You might find reading books or watching inspiring movies fuel your mind.

Mental self-care also involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Practicing self-compassion and acceptance, for example, helps you maintain a healthier inner dialogue.

4. Spiritual Self-Care

Research shows that a lifestyle including religion or spirituality is generally a healthier lifestyle. Nurturing your spirit, however, doesn’t have to involve religion. It can involve anything that helps you develop a deeper sense of meaning, understanding, or connection with the universe.

Whether you enjoy meditation, attending a religious service, or praying, spiritual self-care is essential.

5. Emotional Self-Care

It’s important to have healthy coping skills to deal with uncomfortable emotions, like anger, anxiety, and sadness. Emotional self-care may include activities that help us acknowledge and express our feelings regularly and safely.

Whether you talk to a partner or close friend about how you feel, or you set aside time for leisure activities that help you process your emotions, it’s important to incorporate emotional self-care into your life.

How Self-Care Benefits Your Health and Well-Being

According to Ellen K. Baker, PhD, a Washington, DC-based psychologist, several basic self-care habits have been linked to lifespan and other favorable health outcomes. She cites numerous studies that suggest that exercise, yoga, and mindfulness are beneficial to both mental and physical health.

According to studies, longevity in the twenty-first century is dependent on healthy activities such as exercise, quitting smoking, and eating a nutritious diet. It is also important to embrace a positive lifestyle in general. Your well-being demands you to ask yourself what makes you happy and then figure out how to get there.

The following self-care practices have a strong, well-researched link to a longer life.

• Exercise People who exercised between two and eight hours per week throughout their lives reduced their risk of early death by 29 to 36 percent.
• Purpose According to the research, a strong life purpose was associated with decreased mortality rates.
• Diet A diet filled with more servings of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and white fish per day was associated with longer life expectancy.
• Sleep Research suggests that healthier sleep patterns could significantly increase life expectancy.
• Get Outside Studies also show that time spent in green space is associated with a lower mortality rate.

The clinical evidence documenting the long-term health benefits of specifically taking a self-care approach to health is less robust, but growing. A recent review study stated that at present, research into self-care and life expectancy are more disease focused. Researchers call for more general studies on how self-care may impact overall health and longevity.

How to Start a Self-Care Routine

There are numerous strategies to establish a self-care practice. Determine what activities make you happy, recharge your energy, and restore your balance. The following may be an excellent starting point.

1. Start small by choosing one behavior you’d like to incorporate into your routine in the next week.
2. Build up to practicing that behavior every day for one week.
3. Reflect on how you feel.
4. Add more practices when ready.
5. Get support through sharing practices with loved ones, a coach, a licensed professional (like a therapist or dietitian), or through your healthcare plan, community, or workplace.

Practicing self-care doesn’t need to be a heavy lift right out of the gate. 

Here are a few ideas for activities that could help ease you into your self-care journey:

• Write in a journal.
• Start each day by paying attention to your breath for five minutes and setting intentions for the day.
• Eat breakfast.
• Reflect on what you’re grateful for each night.
• Put your phone on airplane mode for a half hour before bed each night to release yourself from the flurry of notifications.
• Call a friend just to say hello.
• Take up a relaxing hobby.
• Pick a bedtime, and stick to it.

If you read this and are feeling discouraged or depressed about the difficulties of mounting or creating a self-care practice, get help and support. There may be challenges to self-care due to past trauma, mental health difficulties, or family situations that make it difficult to get started.

Seek help from a trusted counselor or behavioral health provider (such as a therapist), a reliable primary care doctor, or a close friend.

What Counts as Self-Care

Self-care is not an exact science since everyone defines it differently. According to Courtney, the basic criterion is that it should bring you long-term joy.

Though there are numerous examples of self-care that appear to walk a tight line between health-promoting behavior and self-indulgence, self-care does not have to entail filling your schedule with expensive experiences or activities.

Consider getting a manicure, a massage, or any other pampering activity. It may appear indulgent, but if the activity helps you de-stress and make time for yourself, Amsellem considers it self-care. If weekly manicures or monthly spa days are out of your budget, they will most likely add stress to your life in the long run, thus there are numerous other self-care habits you may implement.

“Self-care does not have to cost anything; it simply entails doing activities you like. And many of the activities we enjoy or find fulfilling are free,” Amsellem explains. “Stepping outside and taking a deep breath, for example, might be the greatest act of self-care.”

If you don’t have much time, include self-care activities into your regular routine. You can try to be more aware of your thoughts throughout your journey to work, or you can find ways to make daily routines, such as showering, more joyful. Choose a soap with a scent you enjoy, and concentrate on the physical sensations of the shower. How does your shower smell? What’s the sound like? How does warm water feel against your skin? It is about being mindful and present. “For about 10 minutes in the shower, which I have to do anyway, instead of letting my monkey brain run wild, I’m right there,” she tells me.

Daily activities, such as making your bed in the morning, are examples of self-care, or can be. “This is where that individuality comes into play, because for some people there is no way making a bed feels like self-care — it may just feel like a chore,” she explains. However, if it helps you claim your day and gives you a sense of accomplishment early on, you’ll have it with you even if the rest of the day goes wrong, according to Amsellem.

Final

Self-care entails taking proactive actions to care for your physical and emotional health, which can help you deal with daily stress and enhance your overall well-being. It’s not about indulging yourself, but about doing things that make you happy and help you feel balanced. Begin by adopting regular techniques that help you recharge, such as mindful breathing or making daily aims.