A Guide to Caring for Yourself- No Matter What

Caring for yourself comes in many forms. From emotional and physical self care to financial and spiritual self care. There are endless aspects we need to be aware of to become the best version of ourselves. That’s why here at GR8NESS, we’ve put together a guide to caring for yourself- no matter what.

Let’s take a look at the key elements of self-care, along with some useful tips on how to implement healthy routines into your daily life. The most important thing to remember is that self care is comprehensive. You cannot be sincerely well without addressing the mind, body, and soul.

Start with Emotional Self-Care

Emotional self care addresses how we feel on the inside. It includes self-image, self-esteem, confidence, and more. Emotional self care impacts our mental health and how we see the world. The most important elements of emotional self care are learning how to recognize our feelings, and then addressing and coping with them appropriately.

How to Work On This

Start taking the time to pause and identify what you’re feeling at any given moment. How do you feel right now, and what are you doing? Self-awareness is the key to positive emotional self care. It can help you identify what you need more of in your life, and what activities, people, or thoughts you need to banish.

Do you feel happy, fulfilled, and content when eating dinner with your family? Do more of that. Or, are you in a toxic relationship? For emotional self care, it’s important to recognize these things so that you can make your life a brighter place.

Even when things get hard, and the negative feelings start to outweigh the good, try to identify three things that bring you joy and set aside more time for those activities.

Practice Physical Self-Care

Physical self care seems easy enough, yet it’s one of the elements that most people find difficult to maintain. It’s more than just working out and eating healthy. It’s recognizing when you’re tired, knowing when it’s time to go to the doctor, and practicing healthy grooming habits. No matter how busy life gets, it’s crucial to maintain physical self care.

Try setting calendar alerts on your phone to remind you when it’s time to make that next dentist appointment, or make it a goal to go for at least a few long walks each week. Learn healthy sleep tips or read up on the best leafy greens to incorporate into your diet.

All of this is part of your physical self-care routine.

Learn about Financial Self-Care

Many people don’t think of finances as playing a role in self care, but they do. Learning how to budget, set a savings goal, and manage your money is vital to your current and future self.

This might mean that sometimes you have to say “no” to things. Things like retail-therapy, expensive nights out with friends, and other things that aren’t needed. While it might give you a sense of FOMO to stay in on a Saturday night, flip it around and think about how you’re doing what’s best for you.

If you can’t afford something, it’s okay. Know when you’re spending money because you want to versus when you need to and identify problem areas that you need to be more aware of. Download apps or use online banking tools that can help.

Find Your Spiritual Self-Care Practice

Spiritual self care is something that people struggle with. Is it meditation? Religion? Believing in the extraordinary? Spiritual self care is more difficult to define because the answer is that it can be any of these things, and it differs greatly from person to person. It’s how we find meaning in our lives and come to know that there are powers greater than ourselves. Sometimes spiritual self care is simply spending time in nature.

If you’re religious, it may mean maintaining involvement with your local congregation. If meditation is your spiritual outlet, it may mean making a conscious effort to set aside twenty minutes a day to practice. Ultimately, there is no wrong way to build your spiritual connection, but remembering that it takes a conscious effort to do so is important.

Caring for Yourself, No Matter What

To care for yourself, no matter what, you have to keep in mind all the different variations of self care. One cannot be effective without the others. If you’re feeling down, but don’t know why, take a minute and think about each type of self care. Is there a specific area you need to pay more attention to?

The most important part of caring for yourself, no matter what, is recognizing that self care is an on-going process and knowing when you need to re-evaluate your routines.

Self care is not something that happens. It’s something you have to put into action and then maintain. Stay in-tune with your mind and body and listen to yourself. If you do, you’ll always be able to figure out what it is that you need.