Did you know there are many different types of self-care? I believe there are five primary types of self-care, and all of them are equally important. It can be easy to practice some and neglect others. If your only types of self-care are going to the gym, taking bubble baths, or getting massages, you are likely missing some key components to maintaining overall wellbeing.
Physical Health
The idea of taking a mental health day off can feel wrong even though taking a sick day from work for a physical ailment seems like no big deal. While sick days don’t exist in the work culture of many countries, countries and workplaces that do have sick days available intend those days off for health and wellbeing.
It is difficult to avoid burnout because it's difficult to know if our stress levels are typical or problematic. The emphasis on success and achievement in our culture encourages us to push to our breaking points in the name of productivity. If you value your mental health as much as I do, you might struggle with the conflict between meeting expectations at work and maintaining a healthy personal life. I've found there are ways I can avoid burnout with good self-care practices.
Long before modern-day medicine existed, Eastern approaches to health and wellness recognized the power of the mind/body connection. Meditation, acupuncture, and self-compassion were a regular part of caring for the mind and body. Today, both medical and mental health professionals understand more about the scientific connection between our physical and mental wellbeing. Recently, I've been doing some research on the power of the mind/body connection and was surprised to learn how deeply rooted they are with one another.
Do you experience seasonal depression (also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD)? If so, you may have extra trouble getting out of bed during periods of SAD.
Recently, I began to wonder if my medication is an emotional crutch. An emotional crutch is something that one relies on during a period of difficulty. But is using medication as an emotional crutch really that bad?
People who love to spend time outdoors can tell you plenty about the positive impact it has on their mood. Personally, I experience a noticeable decrease in stress and anxiety when I am hiking, camping, sitting near a body of water, or even walking my dogs around the neighborhood. When the weather is nice, I often eat meals in my backyard just to get a little extra outside time. For many, the calming effects of being outdoors is intuitive.
Your mental health and sleep are closely linked. When you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to be irritable or depressed. These qualities don’t make for pretty personalities. However, a little attention to sleep hygiene (habits to increase your quality of and time spent sleeping) can make a large difference in your happiness and overall health. Studies show that lack of sleep can raise the likelihood of developing depression, trigger a bipolar episode, and contribute to anxiety, according to a Harvard Mental Health letter that synthesizes multiple studies.1 How, then, can we improve our sleep in order to experience more of life? Turns out there’s an entire industry around sleep hygiene we can turn to for guidance because improving your mental health through sleep is entirely possible.
If you want to improve your mental health, you should improve your physical health. You'll be pleased to know there is a direct association between sleep, exercise, nutrition, and emotional health. Individually, chronic sleep loss, lack of physical activity, or eating poorly can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression. So if you want to improve your mental health, you should improve your physical health, too.
You can work on your emotional wellbeing by meditating, journaling, and reciting affirmations. But, there is also a physical component to your emotional health, and it often goes ignored. If you want to enhance your emotional wellbeing, include exercise in your self-care routine.