Self-care is an important part of maintaining your health and well-being. Self-care goes beyond just treating yourself to a massage or be restricted to your night-time skincare routine. It is a holistic habit that you should whole-heartedly get into for every aspect of your life. Here are a few different types of self-care that can improve your overall well-being.
Physical Self-care
Physical self-care is the most common form of self-care that people practise. Your physical well-being is the most tangible thing that you can see, control, and improve. Having a balanced diet, engaging in regular exercise, improving your sleep habits, having a consistent skin and haircare routine – these are some important ways that you can improve your physical health.
Mental Self-care
Not enough is spoken about prioritising your mental and emotional well-being on a regular basis. Reflecting on your day or week is a good way for you to put things in perspective, whether it is to see how far you’ve come or just remembering the little things that made your bad day a better one.
That said, mental and emotional self-care doesn’t mean that you only must think positive and that you should strive to be happy all the time. It’s about accepting how you feel and trying to achieve a healthy balance of emotions, both positive and negative. Sharing your experiences and difficulties with someone you trust is a great way to help you start dealing with your feelings in a healthier way.
Intellectual Self-care
Intellectual self-care is about engaging in activities that help to stimulate and sharpen your mind. Work-related learning will help you get better at your job, but it is also important to grow your knowledge and skills outside of your career.
Staying informed of current affairs is an easy way to start your intellectual self-care. Reading interesting books on new topics, watching documentaries, and doing your own research are great sources for discussion points with your friends. Forming informed opinions on topics allows you broaden your perspectives and deepen your thinking.
Picking up new hobbies through short courses also helps you learn new life skills that can improve both your physical and mental well-being.
Social Self-care
Humans are social beings; we live in a society where we depend on each other for a multitude of things to get through our lives. Social self-care is about ensuring that your circle of friends and family are supportive and caring – especially for introverts, who may struggle with this part of self-care.
Making an effort to catch up with old friends and family that you haven’t seen in a while, having deep heart-to-heart talks with your children and partner, regularly spending time with those that make you feel better and uplift you – these are some ways you can improve your social self-care practices.
It is also important, however, to set boundaries. Being a people-pleaser or engaging in toxic relationships because they make you feel good for a moment is not healthy – create boundaries that prioritise your well-being and eliminate any relationship that endangers that.
Mindful Self-care
Mindfulness is about being present and aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment. This is an effective way to regulate your emotions and reduce your stress levels in the long run.
Engaging your senses even for simple things like listening to music that lift your mood and remind you of good things, lighting a scented candle with soothing scents and even wearing high-quality materials that feel good on your skin can help you feel better both physically and emotionally.
These different types of self-care are not exhaustive or mutually exclusive, there are many different types of self-care habits that you can engage in – you can design your own ritual according to your routines and preferences. Some days, you might find yourself needing to focus on a certain type; it’s absolutely crucial to listen to what your mind and body are telling you and be in tune to what you need.