What is Self Care and Why is it So Important?

By Danielle M. Tscherne, MAEd, LPC, CDCA

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about “self-care” lately. So, what is it exactly? Self-care is just that. Simply taking the time to take care of yourself, whether that’s mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually, or even professionally. But how do you do that?

Here are some examples of self-care activities:

• Mentally – take time for self-reflection, read, write in a journal, seek counseling, cope with stress, meditate.

• Emotionally – spend time with loved ones, engage in activities you enjoy, give yourself praise and affirmations, love yourself.

• Physically – eat healthy foods and eat regularly, exercise, go for a walk, seek medical care when necessary, get enough sleep, get massages, engage in fun activities.

• Spiritually – spend time in nature, meditate, pray, volunteer.

• Professionally – engage with coworkers, allow time for breaks throughout the day, balance work life with other responsibilities, participate in projects or tasks you enjoy, set boundaries with coworkers.

After reviewing this list, you may realize you’re already practicing self-care. Or maybe there’s things that you do that aren’t on here. Self-care is different for everyone; you just need to figure out what works for you.

So Why is Self-Care So Important?

There are numerous benefits of practicing self-care including: 

• Reducing stress

• Improving physical health and boosting your immune system

• Reducing risk of burnout

• Improving feelings of calmness and relaxation

• Improving positive thinking

• Learning more about yourself

It is a vast misconception that you need to have free time in order to take care of yourself. That’s simply not true! Even spending ten minutes a day doing one of these activities, or your own, can have a significant impact on your overall well-being. Start by practicing as small as you need too and pretty soon, it’ll become a healthy habit.