So what does self-care mean to you? Is it important? Or is it something that’s nice to do every now and then?
You are going to discover what is self-care and why is self-care important? It might seem obvious, but it will be so interesting to find out more. Especially if you wait until the end of this article because there is a free printable there … 😉
Table of Contents
What Does Self-Care Mean Really?
Self-care at its most basic level is loving yourself enough to take care of yourself and your needs. It can involve pampering yourself, but it’s also about doing those boring tasks (like chores, LOL) so that you can feel better in the long run.
Self-Care Means Understanding Your Needs and Putting Them Into Action
To really understand human needs a famous psychologist from the 1940’s known as Abraham Maslow came up with a theory known as “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” He explains human needs in a pyramid diagram. Your most basic needs (like air, food, water, sleep, etc…) are at the bottom of the pyramid going all the way up to self-actualization.
All of this information can be further explored at Wikipedia, but I’m going to summarize it as it relates to self-care.
1. Physiological Needs
If you are just in survival mode then you would be just taking care of your most basic (physiological) needs like food, water, sleep, shelter, etc …
2. Safety Needs
The next higher level of human needs is the need to feel safe. Your safety needs could mean: you want to feel physically safe where you are, you want to feel financially safe/secure through having a secure job or a good savings account, etc …
3. Social Needs/Love
Next is to feel a sense of love and belonging. You can find this socially through family, friends, a spouse, religious groups, sports, many kinds of groups, etc …
4. Self-Esteem Needs
The next level is self-esteem needs. When you think about healthy self-esteem how does it usually start? It can be achieved through so many different angles like: having self-respect for yourself, being really good at something, getting respect from others, self-discipline, etc …
People need or want to have some self-esteem. Not having self-esteem never makes you feel good, so we all want a good healthy amount of self-esteem.
5. Self-Actualization
It can mean reaching your full potential and being the best version of you possible.
Let’s face it. Self-care isn’t just one area of your life. It’s taking care of different areas of your life so that you can have the whole package, not just bits and pieces.
On this blog I divided the different types of self-care into these categories such as: physical self-care, mental and emotional self-care, spiritual self-care, social self-care, occupational self-care, financial self-care, practical self-care and self-improvement. Self-improvement plays an important role in self-care as well. I know you might not see all of these now, but it’s coming …
I do believe self-care involves so many different areas of life. For example, self-care isn’t only about physically taking care of yourself. It could also mean cleaning up your home so that you feel better.
Self-Care Is a Growing Process
Plant the seeds of self-care in your life and watch it grow! What a beautiful process.
In the past I’ve tried to go full force into self-care and that doesn’t work for me. I’ve come to realize that it’s a growing process, especially if you are at the beginning stages in this self-care journey.
If you can go full force into self-care then go for it. I found that I couldn’t keep up all those nice habits. However, if you slowly work a good habit in each month, before you know it by the end of the year you might have started a few nice habits or even twelve good habits.
Self-care that lasts the test of time is not a quick process, but a commitment to yourself. It’s more of a long term practice which eventually becomes a routine that helps you maintain a happier healthier life.
Doing self-care every now and then might make you feel good temporarily, but it doesn’t have long term effects. You have to put the effort in to start noticing lasting changes in your life.
Once you put the effort in you will start to learn what works for you and what doesn’t. So I can tell you what works for me, but it might not work for you. Everyone has a different personality.
Everyone’s self-care journey is different. I might need to lose weight and you might not. So take the time to learn what you need and then try to put it into practice. It’s Ok to stumble as Confucius once said, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”
Also, as you grow you will find that your self-care needs will change and you will have to alter your routines or your habits. So doing the same thing over and over is good to a certain point, but don’t let it hinder your growth. Make some alternations when you need to.
Why Is Self-Care Important?
Self-care is so important that it affects every area of your life.
Let’s think about it. For example, if you don’t take care of yourself then you can start to have problems with your physical health, mental health, spiritual health, social health, financial health, work related problems and the list can go on.
For many of us we don’t even realize how important self-care is. Self-care makes you take action and go to the doctor or dentist. It also means finding ways to deal with the stress in your life.
Self-care can mean getting into routines that you might not find fun, but it will help you maintain the overall quality of your life. It’s knowing when to say yes and when to say no. Now the most favourite part of self-care is knowing when to relax of course!
Looking after yourself can prevent a whole whirlwind of problems. So recharge your battery through self-care. What happens when a car battery is low or drained? It breaks down. So keep an eye on your well being.
Let’s Recap … What Does Self-Care Mean?
Self-care is not one dimensional. It involves so many different levels. That’s why it’s important for you to listen to your body, find out how you can work it into your schedule and then take care of your needs.
Self-care takes time to see results so you should try to make a commitment to yourself. It also involves noticing what is working and what isn’t. If it’s not working then make a change so that it will work for you.
You can hold yourself accountable through daily habit tracking. On a piece of paper or digitally, record if you are doing a certain self-care habit. At the end of this article is a free habit tracker for personal use to help you with is process. Enjoy!
If you haven’t started your self-care journey then try to make a commitment today. It’s Ok to try, there will be ups and downs but keep going because you deserve it.
Are you going to start today? Let me know in the comments below. All the best. 🙂
Free Habit Tracker for personal use only
DOWNLOAD – both coloured and black and white click here
