You have probably heard the term, “self-care” thrown around a lot during these times of great social and personal distress. But what does self-care truly mean? Self-care is something that is very specific. It is specific to us as individuals and as part of our communities.

Self-care is more than the things that we do routinely to survive the day such as taking a shower, eating a meal, or brushing teeth. These routines are just that, routine and on't take too much forethought. We never really have to think much about doing these things because we've turned them into habit and many times our minds are somewhere else as we do these chores for ourselves.

Self-care is different. Generally, self-care is recognized as promotion of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Self-care is an activity done deliberately and mindfully to improve health and wellness (Orem, 2001).

Five Pillars of Self-Care

There are 5 important pillars that constitute a good self-care plan. Each one of these pillars can be addressed with different activities that you integrate into your life. Yoga postures, Yoga Nidra and meditation can fulfill many of these categories. Read on.

1. Physical self-care: Physical self-care includes eating a diet that is healthy for you, getting appropriate amounts of sleep and doing physical activities. Some suggestions include meeting with a nutritionist who would take into consideration your health needs and craft a diet regimen specific to your needs. Use a sleep app, to help ensure you get enough rest. Take a Yoga class for your physical activity.

2. Social self-care: In these times of social distancing, we can get very isolated without even noticing that it is happening to us. Social self-care means investing time in your relationships with your family and close friends. Plan regular activities with others. Phone calls, video meetings or meetings with friends outdoors from six feet away are all excellent activities for social self-care. Maybe even make new friends. Taking a live online class is another way to socially engage and care for yourself. Yoga Nidra and Yoga posture classes can both be done in a group setting both online and physically distanced classes.

3. Mental self-care: Mental self-care means doing activities that keep your mind sharp and intellectually engaged. Doing crossword puzzles, reading books, or learning a new language are all deliberate activities that keep the brain active and healthy. Focusing on self-acceptance and self-compassion are both examples of mental self-care. A solid Yoga Nidra practice can help your focus on self-compassion and self-acceptance. Learning the names of the Yoga poses helps with mental acuity.

4. Spiritual self-care: Spiritual self-care doesn't necessarily mean practicing a faith or religion, although it can. Spiritual self-care can involve any activity that helps you promote a sense of meaning and understanding of life. It can help promote your connection to the universe or something bigger than yourself. Meditation constitutes spiritual self-care as it can settle the soul and lead to a healthier mind and body. Meditation, such as Yoga Nidra, is one method of spiritual self-care and, for me, the best!

5. Emotional self-care: Emotional self-care means checking in with your feelings. Particularly checking in with those uncomfortable emotions such as anger, anxiety and sadness. Rather than avoiding these emotions, we can take actions. Some actions we can take to promote emotional self-care include talking things out with a person close to you, seeing a talk therapist, or finding some way to express your feelings regularly in a healthy way. In the beginning of most yoga classes we check in with our emotions. We check in with the mind, the body, the spirit. We find out just where we are on the mat. Yoga Nidra is a deep nurturing practice that allows for exploration of the full range of emotions.

I encourage you to explore more self-care activities and find the perfect fit for you.

Resources:

Nursing: Concepts of Practice. 6th ed. St Louis, MO: Mosby; 2001. [Google Scholar].

Scott, E. (2020). Five Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Your Life.