The Keys to Effective Self Care

https://laveldanaylor.wordpress.com/2012/11/04/keys-to-effective-self-care/

What is self care? 

We hear about self care a lot in our culture today, but what does it mean exactly to truly incorporate self care in our lives?

The dictionary says self care is “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.”  Self care keeps our body, mind, and spirit at optimal level so we can be our best selves. 

When talking about self care, I like to use Virginia Satir’s (a well know therapist) model. She discusses how there are 8 keys of self care. They are the following:

Intellectual Self Care: Activities that you can do to stimulate the brain or engage the mind is a form of intellectual self care. These may be things like reading, playing games, and learning new things. 

Interactional Self Care: This involves being social with others. This can include going out to eat with your loved ones for a special dinner, visiting family, or going out on a date night. 

Emotional Self Care: Anything that enhances and explores our emotional experience counts as emotional self care. This includes activities such as watching a comedy or drama movie or enjoying an art exhibit, reading, writing, or listening to music. Any activity where you can process your emotions in a healthy way would be considered emotional self care. 

Nutritional Self Care: Increasing nutritional food in your daily diet can be difficult for a lot of people, but it really is a great form of self care. I always tell people to start small on goals for this. Make it tangible, achievable goals. It can include watching calorie intake, reducing sugars, or even eating something new. 

Sensual Self Care: Getting in touch with your 5 senses can happen in many ways. This can include things like lighting a fragrant candle, playing soothing music, or getting a massage. 

Spiritual Self Care: Feeding your soul can includes going to church, praying, and pursuing an active relationship with God. In what ways do you experience God? This could also look like being out in nature, worship music, or participating in a bible study. 

Physical Self Care: Caring for you body can be challenging. Exercise, taking a workout class, yoga, and even getting good sleep are different ways you can get this type of self care. 

Contextual Self Care: Improving or changing your environment to have a fresh start is a form of contextual self care.  This can look like cleaning, repairing broken things, planting, visiting somewhere new, and moving around furniture in your home.  

Self Care Exercise: If practicing self care is a new idea for you, I would recommend starting by choosing 3 of these types of self care to begin with. You may have noticed while reading this list some types of self care you already practice.   What are 3 types of self care you could improve on?  What are some new self care techniques that you would like to try out?

The key to self care success is putting these types of self care into daily practice using intentionality and discipline. Don't beat yourself up if you can't get it right the first or even the second time.  Changing your life for the better is a rewarding process that takes time to master.  Be sure to give yourself grace as you try to incorporate these self care techniques into your life routines. Our body is a temple, and God wants us to care for our body, spirit, and mind.

Jenna Hazlewood is a
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
at Branches Counseling Center in 
Mount Juliet, Tennessee