Lesson #3: Benefits of Self-Care, and Why Do You Need It? (Day 4)

Follow along with Day 4 in your workbook. 

Hello, Explorer!

Now that we have addressed the most difficult parts of us, the time has come to develop a plan to practice our self-care.

Develop A Self-Care Plan

When I began my self-care journey and started educating myself about what self-care is, I thought that the practice was self-explanatory. I came to realize that I had a lot to learn. There were so many new ideologies about the topic that I had to discover. The journey of acknowledging what we need in order to fuel a healthy and well-balanced life differs from person to person. Self-care is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Individual self-care plans will need to be customized to fit each person’s needs. A busy college student who feels mentally stimulated all the time and has a bustling social life might need to emphasize spiritual self-care. On the other hand, a retired person may need to incorporate more emotional self-care into his or her schedule to make sure that social interactions are adequate.

Go ahead and think about 4 or 5 major areas of your life (physical, mental, spiritual, relationships, career, emotional, etc). What type of self-care can you implement for each of these categories? 

Step 1: Assess

Assess the areas of your life which need more attention and focus. Reassess your life often. As your situation changes, your self-care needs are likely to shift, too. When you discover that you are neglecting a certain aspect of your life, adjust your plan with only minor changes. You do not have to tackle everything all at once.

Step 2: Identify

Identify small steps you can take to begin caring for yourself better. As time goes on, you will be able to find additional self-care items within each category until you have a wide variety of activities that you can engage in and choose from. 

Step 3: Plan

Schedule time to focus on your needs. Even when you feel like you do not have time to squeeze in one more thing, make self-care a priority. When you are caring for all aspects of yourself, you will find that you are able to operate more effectively and efficiently.

Here is a sample plan that I created, but feel free to make a plan that is catered to you:

Physical: Exercise twice a week for thirty minutes

Mental: Repeat five daily affirmations

Spiritual: Meditate & Pray for ten minutes in the mornings

Relationships: Dedicate two 15-minute phone calls weekly to catch up with others

Career: Set-up a peer support group; Engage in a workplace community

Emotional: Start a gratitude journal and write down one thing every day

Long-Term Self-Care

As someone who has spent most of my time caring for others, I often show signs of being codependent. In the past, I have sacrificed my needs for the sake of others. My self-worth was previously measured by the way people perceived me. My words would be censored and filtered in my mind before I would allow myself to speak. As you can imagine, the idea of putting myself and my needs first was an incredibly foreign concept. I felt that I was being selfish by doing so.

As my husband and I have discovered, practicing self-care is essential to our lives. We both experience high levels of stress and anxiety that are extremely different from each other. We handle every situation with contrasting emotions and process information in diverging ways. Something we work hard on is to be aware of how each other is feeling. If one of us is particularly sad or anxious, the other will try their best to be the one to do the cheering up. Constant encouragement to take care of ourselves and each other is so much appreciated during stressful times. Of course, anyone who is a constant support system can partake in this long-term journey with you – a friend, mother, cousin, or partner. With self-care, we can give ourselves the attention we so deserve. Once our body, mind, and spirit are nourished, we can be better partners, friends, family members, co-workers, and human beings to others. Just remember, life is constantly changing, so your self-care plans should change and grow alongside it.

Goodbye, Explorer!