Self-Care and Mental Health
Self-care has been a topic of discussion over the past couple of years, and there is no sign of it slowing down.
Self-care is a continuous process of reflecting on your needs and investing in yourself to be the best version of yourself. Many individuals turn to self-care to avoid burnout, whether it be professionally or socially. The key to self-care is that it is an ongoing process, so it becomes a part of our everyday routine. Often, it may come across as something you only participate in occasionally, defeating the purpose and making it more stressful to manage. Additionally, self-care may be hard to prioritize for some, especially if they hold roles of caregivers; taking time for yourself may seem selfish instead of necessary. This is a significant barrier to why individuals do not participate in self-care. It can be addressed once it is recognized as a barrier to your wellbeing; however, this may take time as you explore what you are into when it comes to self-care.
Some may argue that self-care is a trend. However, individuals are hungry for knowledge that can lead to bettering themselves. Many have recognized that to execute our best selves, we must take notes on how our wellbeing is affected. Therefore, mental health values are becoming just as important as physical health. We know that openly speaking about a range of mental health concerns, whether to a professional in the field or a support circle, allows us to heal, grow, and maintain healthy habits for the mind. Additionally, speaking about mental health normalizes many experiences; therefore, we can even get inspiration for self-care routines from others.
The goal of self-care is to prevent negative routines and preserve and control our overall wellbeing consistent actions. When we find ourselves in negative routines or patterns, this may be a good time to reflect on why we feel that way. Then, after discovering our concerns, we can be proactive and take steps to ensure that we do not continue these habits and instead make sure that we are finding healthy ways to cope. There are easy ways to implement self-care into our everyday lives while still fulfilling the roles and duties we are assigned and take on.
Some ways to participate in self-care include:
Moving your body
Writing things down
Calming your mind
Getting outside
Exercising your brain muscles
Creating fun for yourself
Calling/being with loved ones
Trying something new
Asking for help
Connecting with yourself
This is a very vague, non-exhaustive list of what self-care could entail. As you can tell, it covers various activities that can be interpreted in multiple ways. For example, to some calming their mind might mean meditation, but to others, it may entail watching their favourite movie. Self-care is meant to be a personalized experience to ensure you are resting and recharging in a way that suits your lifestyle and priorities. For example, suppose you are into reading. In that case, nobody will expect you to suddenly take up yoga to destress.
Overall, there are a few takeaways when it comes to self-care. Firstly, the activities must be something that you actually enjoy doing. It would be work if you did not enjoy it. Secondly, integrating self-care into your schedule will allow you to gain the maximum benefits to support your wellbeing. Doing it once a month does not allow you to recharge yourself fully. This leads to the last takeaway of maintaining consistency. This is hard to do; however, once self-care becomes consistent, it is a part of us and is necessary for us to complete.
Self-care plays a considerable role when it comes to our mental health. It is not just a trend, but a way to ensure we do not burn out; it allows us to be our most authentic and productive selves.
Whatever it is, we’re here for you.
Life is uncertain. Jobs are stressful. Parenting is hard. Relationships take work. Families can be dysfunctional. And, sometimes love hurts. When you’re confronted by feelings, events, or issues that are making your life challenging, it’s okay to ask for some help.
SOURCES:
Is Self-Care Just a Trend? | Psychology Today Canada
5 Self-Care Pillars for Helping Professionals | Psychology Today CanadaSelf-Care in the Setting of COVID-19 | Psychology Today Canada
Self-Care: Definition and Examples (verywellhealth.com)13 Examples of Self Care and How to Create Your Own Plan | Skillshare Blog
