12/06/2024 by Therapy For You

Self care: What is it, why is it so important and how can you get started?

From changing plans last minute to look after a sick loved one, to helping babysit a relative at short notice, many of us choose to put others’ needs ahead of our own in daily life.

While these actions can make us feel positive and fulfilled, when we prioritise everyone else’s wants all of the time, it can leave us little room to do the things that bring us joy, cause us stress, and place an unhealthy amount of expectation on our shoulders.

To help you find a healthy balance, we discuss what self care is, why it's incredibly important for your mental health, and ways you can actively incorporate it into your daily life.

What is self care?

Self care means taking time out of your day every so often to check in with how you’re feeling, so you can establish healthy habits to improve your physical and mental wellbeing.

This can represent different things for different people. For some, it’s about fitting in some ‘me time’ at the end of the week to nurture positive health and wellbeing.

For others, spending time listening to music or walking outside in nature is what keeps their minds and bodies happy and healthy.

Why is it important to prioritise self care?

In our busy lives and hectic schedules, it is easy to let other priorities take precedence over your wellbeing – especially if you have a long list of responsibilities or the welfare of others on your mind.

But with time, this one-sided way of living can become a weight on your mental health and cause you to become burnt out, exhausted, irritable or depressed.

Just 23% of people in the UK think they are good at practising self care

Whether it’s as simple as taking a bubble bath, reading a book, eating your favourite meal or meeting up with friends or family members, putting yourself first and doing what brings you joy – even if that’s just for an hour a week – can have meaningful benefits.

Strengthens emotional resilience

When you neglect the needs of your mind and body, it can leave you feeling low, tired and stressed.

This can weaken your emotional resilience and cause you to react badly to daily challenges such as feedback at work, traffic jams or harmless mistakes.

By dedicating even just a small amount of time and energy solely to yourself, you can take strides to nurture a more positive mindset.

One that enables you to overcome negative thoughts and better handle the day-to-day lows we all face with greater fortitude.

Improves overall mood

Filling your days with tasks you must do, rather than incorporating activities you want to do, can cause your quality of life to take a step down.

This might make it hard to keep your spirits up, motivate yourself for the day ahead, or even get out of bed in the morning.

That’s why regular self care practices like engaging with hobbies and getting physically active are so important.

By focusing your mind away from potential worries and stresses, and on to interests and tasks you enjoy, you can take strides toward a more positive outlook.

Enhances self-esteem and confidence

Whether you realise it or not, choosing to shuffle self care to the bottom of your to-do list can make you feel as though your needs aren’t as worthy as other people’s, or that you’re somehow undeserving of compassion or kindness.

Taking time to go for a short walk or simply unwind at the end of a long day is a powerful way to assert your needs and foster a stronger sense of self-worth.

With enough practice, this can boost your confidence and self-esteem and lead to a more assured mindset.

Reduces stress and anxiety levels

Family obligations. Deadlines at work. Pressures from social events. Countless factors can add to your daily stress and anxiety levels, especially if you are not doing anything to address the balance.

Carving out the time to rest, practice mindfulness, regularly exercise or try other types of self care activities when you feel the pressure mount is a great way to help reduce the effects of stress and anxiety.

How do I incorporate self care into my daily routine?

Now you know what self care is and the ways it can benefit your physical and mental health, how do you fit it into your day-to-day commitments?

To help you introduce self care as a key part of your life, we’ve put together some simple tips that can make adopting this habit as straightforward as possible.

1. Check in with yourself by keeping a journal

When you’re in the midst of a stressful day or are feeling depressed, your mind may be overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. This can make it hard to focus, acknowledge your mood, and take a moment for yourself.

In these instances, writing down your experiences in a journal can cut through the noise, help you understand how you truly feel, and encourage you to dedicate time to practising self care when it’s needed most.

As well as helping you stay in touch with your emotions, keeping a mood diary can help you balance your emotions, reduce your anxiety, and enable you to break free from unhelpful cycles of thinking.

2. Look after yourself with a self care checklist

When it comes to self care, there’s no ‘right way’ to look after your mind and body. Your ideal self care ritual is completely unique to you.

That’s why, when you need some self care, a ready-made, easy-to-access checklist of ideas can guide you on how to look after yourself in the time you have available.

Does cooking your favourite dish help you feel good? Will spending an hour in the bath cause your stress to evaporate away?

Write down a handful of self care activities that resonate with you, so you can get started straight away when you have a free morning, afternoon or evening.

Call a friend or family member
Go for a walk in nature
Tidy your bedroom
Dance to a favourite song
Eat a favourite snack
Take time away from social media

Another quick, simple and effective way to incorporate self care into your routine is to incorporate mindful visualisation techniques into your day, whenever you have a spare moment between tasks.

The way it works is simple – by focusing your breath and centring your mind, you can visualise yourself in a peaceful setting like a beach or forest. As you imagine the smells, sounds and feel of your calm place, you may start to feel calmer, positive and more fulfilled.

3. Prioritise self care with an activity schedule

Splitting your time and attention between you and your work, your studies and your other responsibilities isn’t always easy, especially when you have a lot on your plate.

To leave room for the activities and tasks that improve your mood every week, Activity Scheduling is a simple and helpful thought exercise.

Start by thinking about what you got up to last week, and jotting this down in a timetable. Include everything you can remember, no matter how mundane – from making lunch and walking the dog, to going to work and completing the weekly shop.

With an overview of your week to hand, dedicate some time to rating how much enjoyment and achievement each of these tasks offered you.

This helps you determine what elements of your routine are contributing to your overall wellbeing, and what duties you could consider replacing with something from your self care checklist.

For example, if you spend Thursday nights watching TV all evening – a task that has no measurable impact on your enjoyment levels – you could try taking a walk or spending time on a new hobby.

However you choose to alter your routine, you should aim to create a revised weekly schedule with self care clearly prioritised. This doesn’t just make it easier to follow your new itinerary, it can also give you the motivation to commit to these changes long-term.

Start with smaller, more manageable self care practices
Reward yourself for dedicating time to self care
Schedule self care reminders at a time that works for you

In search of structured self care support?

Self care is an essential tool that allows us to look after our mental and physical health. But finding the time and attention to make this a lasting habit can sometimes feel impossible.

While these tips can help you nurture your mental and physical health, we also know that for some, structured support is the best way to make self care stick.

If you believe you would benefit from dedicated emotional support, our team of mental health professionals at Therapy For You – your local NHS provider of talking therapies in North East and South East Essex – can get you on the path to feeling better.

Through our free, first-of-its-kind online CBT course for depression, and our wider range of mental health treatment options, we can help you develop valuable techniques to improve your outlook and routine – all in a way that suits your preferences:

For more about Therapy For You and the support we can provide, get in touch with our helpful team today.

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