Discover the 8 different types of self care and learn about different tips and ideas to make it a priority.
Self-care is a vital practice that fosters well-being and enhances our ability to cope with life’s challenges. If you struggle with your mental health, taking care of yourself is even more important.
This post covers a range of different self care activities that you can incorporate into your daily life. You don’t have to do every single thing every day. I try to just pick one thing each day. If it’s one of those bad days, I generally focus on the physical (trying to hack my happiness chemicals).
What is Self Care?
Self-care is a multifaceted practice that encompasses a wide range of activities and strategies aimed at nurturing your holistic well-being. It involves intentional activities that nurture various aspects of ourselves. We do this to maintain balance and foster a positive state of mind.
Self Care Types
There’s more than one way to take care of yourself. In fact, there are eight different forms of self-care: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, personal, space, financial, and work. Each type offers a unique avenue for rejuvenation and self-discovery.
Each type of self-care targets different dimensions of your physical, emotional, and mental health. By giving time and attention to each one, you create balance.
By understanding and embracing these various aspects of self-care, you can adapt them to suit you. It’s also worth examining any barriers to self care you may have (e.g. not feeling like you’re worth it).
Whether you want to enhance your physical health, manage stress, strengthen relationships, or cultivate a sense of purpose. Exploring these self care activities provides a comprehensive toolkit for achieving a harmonious and thriving lifestyle.
Let’s dive into practical ideas and tips to help you incorporate self care into your daily routine.
Physical Self Care
Your body is your home. Taking care of that home is essential to managing your mental health. These types of physical self care focus on maintaining and enhancing your body’s health and vitality.
Sleep
Never underestimate the power of a good night’s rest. Or multiple good nights’. Sleep is so important when it comes to mastering your anxiety. Getting your sleep right is one of the most important forms of self care.
To ensure you have a good night’s sleep, prioritize establishing a consistent sleep schedule and creating a relaxing bedtime routine.
Stretching
Movement is powerful. Incorporate regular stretching exercises to alleviate muscle tension and improve flexibility. Creating physical care routines can be extremely valuable.
Walking
Engage in daily walks to refresh your mind, improve cardiovascular health, and enjoy nature. It also helps to free your mind, escape your space and look at things from a new perspective.
Physical Release
Participate in physical activities that help release pent-up energy and stress, such as dancing or cardio workouts. You could also go for a massage, pedicure, or facial. Or, you can hop into a hot shower or take some time in a relaxing bath.
Yoga
Practice yoga to enhance physical strength, flexibility, and mental clarity. Yoga is also great for anxiety and depression.
Rest
Allow yourself moments of rest and relaxation, even during busy days. Make space for intentional rest where you focus on actually resting. Explore the different types of rest to get some ideas.
Emotional Self Care
Our emotions can be really powerful. And if we bottle them up, things can get tumultuous (I’m still trying to learn how to embrace my emotions). Emotional self care activities involve cultivating a healthy relationship with your feelings.
Stress Management
Stress creates chaos in the mind and body. Constant high cortisol levels are both draining and exhausting. Develop stress-relief techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation.
Emotional Maturity
Work on understanding and processing your emotions in a constructive manner. This can be done through reflections, shadow work, therapy, or even just discussing things with loved ones.
Forgiveness
Practice forgiving yourself and others to release emotional burdens. This is a lot easier said than done, but holding onto things does more harm than good.
Compassion
Show kindness and compassion to yourself, just as you would to a friend. You’re only human. You will make mistakes.
Kindness
Engage in acts of kindness, whether directed towards yourself or others.
Social Self Care
Social self-care revolves around nurturing healthy relationships and social interactions. If you struggle with social anxiety, this form of self care is incredibly important.
Boundaries
Boundaries are hard. Setting boundaries can be a huge challenge if you’re an anxious person (especially if you’re having a trauma response). Set clear boundaries to ensure your relationships are respectful and balanced.
Support Systems
Cultivate relationships with friends and family who provide emotional support. Your support system can also expand to doctors, therapists, teachers, or even your chiropractor. If you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to contact them.
Positive Social Media
Curate your social media feed to include positive and uplifting content. We’ve all gotten stuck in the scroll hole, or even worse, you end up doom-scrolling.
Try to cultivate a positive social media experience. Remove anything that upsets you, like anything that brings you up. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for posts that make use of toxic positivity and getting rid of those too.
Communication
Engage in open and honest conversations with loved ones to strengthen connections. Speak about what’s bothering you, ask for help, and communicate what you need.
Time Together
Spend quality time with friends and family, fostering meaningful interactions. Reach out to friends and make plans (they love you and want to spend time with you!).
You can even plan a self care night with friends!
Ask for Help
Don’t hesitate to ask for help when needed; it’s a sign of strength, not weakness. If you’re nervous about asking people close to you, check out these mental health resources.
Spiritual Self Care
Spiritual self-care centers on nourishing your inner self and sense of purpose. It’s about connecting with your soul and connecting with the universe around you. Often this type of self care is neglected because we don’t see it as a priority.
Time Alone
Allocate moments for solitude and self-reflection. Alone time is important for discovering yourself and reconnecting with your authentic self.
Meditation
Practice meditation to achieve mental clarity and a sense of calm. You could even try Yoga Nidra.
Yoga
Engage in spiritual practices like yoga that align with your personal beliefs. There are so many forms of yoga that you’re bound to find a style you enjoy. My personal favorite is aerial yoga.
Connection
Connect with your spiritual beliefs, whether through nature, art, or sacred rituals.
Nature
Spend time in nature to feel grounded and connected to the world around you. This could be something as simple as sitting down on the grass and placing your palms on the ground.
Journaling
Keep a journal to reflect on your spiritual journey and thoughts. If you don’t know where to begin, you can always buy a self care journal to help you along.
Sacred Space
Create a sacred space where you can meditate, pray, or simply find solace. This could be your bedroom or another room in your house.
Personal Self Care
Personal self-care involves discovering and embracing your authentic self.
Hobbies
Engage in hobbies that bring you joy and help you unwind.
Knowing Yourself
Take time to understand your strengths, weaknesses, and values. There are plenty of self-discovery journals that can help you on the journey.
Personal Identity
Embrace your unique identity without seeking validation from others. This one can be tough, and it’s definitely a process.
Honoring Your True Self
Make choices that align with your values and aspirations. Spending time alone with your thoughts and feelings can help you to determine what you really want.
Space Self Care
The environment you live in has a direct impact on your mental health. Space self-care focuses on creating an environment that nurtures your well-being.
Safety
Feeling safe is one of our basic human needs. It’s up to you to prioritize safety in your living and working environments.
Healthy Living Environment
Maintain a clean and organized living space for a positive mindset. If my house is messy and cluttered, my brain feels confused and disorganized. The simple act of cleaning my area does wonders for my mental state.
Security and Stability
Create a sense of security through a stable living environment. This can be done through routines, reliability, and consistency.
Organized Space
Declutter your surroundings to promote mental clarity. Invest time in organizing your life around you.
Financial Self Care
Financial self-care involves responsible management of your finances. The dopamine rush from buying something is addictive, but so is good financial planning and management.
Saving
Set aside a portion of your income for savings to build financial security. If you’re unsure how to do this, reach out to a financial advisor.
Budgeting
Create a realistic budget that aligns with your financial goals. There are great tools online to help you budget and plenty of books.
Money Management
Manage your finances wisely to reduce stress and uncertainty. There are also great podcasts to explore that tackle money management.
Splurging
Occasionally treat yourself to something enjoyable within your means. At the moment, I treat myself to something I know I’ll love (like a paint by numbers or a good book).
Paying Bills
Keep up with bill payments to maintain financial stability. And most importantly, don’t let yourself fall into debt.
Work Self Care
Work self-care focuses on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. It’s up to you to create self nurturing activities in your professional and personal life.
Time Management
Self care and time management go hand in hand. Prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively to reduce work-related stress. Create a calendar or use a diary to schedule time for yourself.
Work Boundaries
Set clear boundaries between work and personal life to prevent burnout. Boundaries are one of the most important aspects of self care (but also one of the most difficult things to set).
Positive Workspace
Create a positive and inspiring workspace that boosts your productivity. This can be difficult if you’re in a rigid office environment. But even something like a photograph or a plant can uplift your space.
Continuous Learning
Engage in learning opportunities to enhance your skills and career growth. Taking courses online can be a lovely way to keep challenging yourself.
Break Time
Take regular breaks during work hours to recharge and prevent exhaustion. A lot of professionals don’t take their lunch breaks. It’s time to start! Use that time to reconnect with yourself. You could even take your lunch break with a colleague and sneak in some social self care as well.
Why Self Care is Important
Self-care is essential for maintaining physical, mental, and emotional well-being. By nurturing various aspects of ourselves, we build resilience, reduce stress, and enhance our ability to cope with life’s challenges.
Incorporating a self care agenda into your routine allows you to show yourself the same compassion and care you extend to others.
Create your own self care menu and prioritize yourself every day. You could even set aside time during the week to have a self care night where you prioritize yourself.
These types of self care don’t have to be done in isolation either. They can be done together. For example, you could meditate in nature, go for a hike with friends, clean your house while dancing, head to yoga with your family or anything else you come up with!
Take Care of Yourself
Prioritizing self-care isn’t selfish; it’s an investment in your overall well-being. Embrace these different types of self-care and integrate them into your daily life to create a harmonious balance that promotes vitality and happiness.
Remember, taking care of yourself is an ongoing journey, and each step you take contributes to a healthier, happier you.
One of my favorite sayings around self care is, “Make time for your wellness, or you’ll be forced to make time for your illness.”
Kathryn is the creator of Art of Anxiety. She was diagnosed with GAD and MDD at 16 and has been working every day to master the art of anxiety ever since. Her favorite things to do are aerial yoga and hanging out with her cats while reading a good book.
