What is Self-Care?
The World Health Organization defines self-care as our ability to engage in activities that prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with an illness or disability, with or without a healthcare provider. Self-care includes everything we do to stay physically and mentally healthy. In line with this definition, self-care can be relaxing, calming, intellectually stimulating, inspirational, or physical.
Self-care isn’t the same as self-indulgence or being selfish. It is a set of activities that we use to take care of ourselves to be healthy, do our job, care for others, and to do all the things we need to do during the day. Simply put, it is whatever we do to take care of ourselves. Many things we do today to care for ourselves have been passed down through generations and have become so automatic that we barely even notice them.
Because everyone’s definition of self-care is unique, it is difficult to determine what counts as a self-care activity. However, the underlying assumption is that anything that benefits you in the long run can be considered a self-care activity. For example, a spa day may seem self-indulgent, but if it helps de-stress you and provides time for yourself, consider it self-care. While a spa day would be wonderful to have as a regular part of our self-care activities, there are also many things you can do that don’t cost anything.
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Here are just a few self-care activities you can do that won’t cost a thing or add time to your day:
Taking time during the day to intentionally breathe
Turning routine activities into a mindfulness practice by focusing your attention on your senses
Spending time in nature
Purposefully stretching the parts of your body that tend to hold tension, such as the neck and shoulders
Taking breaks from your electronics
Starting a gratitude practice
Learning something new
Participating in a sport or recreation activity
Playing a game with your children or grandchildren
Practicing self-compassion
These are just a few of the many things you can do to take care of yourself. For more ways you can incorporate self-care activities into your daily routine, download our app, Levelhead for Real Life.