Self-Care. What’s it all about? Tips and Tricks

As a therapist we are taught in every class the idea of self care. But what really is self care? According to Beauchamp & Childress, self-care has been defined as providing adequate attention to one's own physical and psychological wellness. But how can one utilize self-care when we spend 8-10 hours a day working, taking care of family and dealing with all of lifes stressors.

For me even in my 15 plus years as a therapist I am still learning. There are 5 different areas in your life where self-care may be needed, spiritual, emotional, psychological, professional and physical. The biggest tip for self-care is to remember to go easy on yourself even when working on your self care journey. Self-care is meant to be incorporated into your life and not an added stressor.

It is also about being realistic with self-care and identifying those things that make you happy when doing them. I love the Calm app as I can do a quick 5 minute mediation when I am feeling overwhelmed. You can even set it to an “emergency calm” because we all need those every now and then.

Find your balance and find what works for you. Here are a few others ideas:

• Go for a walk.

• Drink water.

• Take a nap.

• Have a cup of tea.

• Sit in the sunlight.

• Take a shower or bath.

But in the end make your own self-care yours and make sure it makes you feel good.