What Is Self Care And Why Is It Important – Take Care of Your Mental Health |

Self-care has become more popular recently, as you’ve probably noticed. During the last couple of years Self Care is a subject that has been trending on social media. The problem is that many people have a misconception on what is self care, and limit it to things like going to the SPA, or to have an excuse to buy everything they want. We need to clear this up right now: Self care is not synonymous with being selfish or self-indulgent.

The purpose of self care is to help you be healthy, both physically and mentally; so that you could be able to do your job, help others, and accomplish all that you want to do.

In the last couple of years, sadly we have seen an increase in people with anxiety and depression, even suicide rates have gone up. According to the Washington Post, the nationwide hotline for mental health emergencies saw an increase of 45% in call, texts and chats in its first month when they switched to a three digit number.

Many psychologist believe that selfcare is a key element on how we all manage and cope with daily challenges.

What is Self Care

According to the Oxford Dictionaries, self care is the practice of taking action to “preserve or improve one’s health”.

The key being improve one’s health!

Many professionals and researchers have taken a more health-oriented approach when discussing self-care. The World Health Organization’s defines it as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider.”

A recent Forbes article also talks about this subject by mentioning a review of the International Journal of Nursing Sciences and describes self-care as “the ability to care for oneself through awareness, self-control and self-reliance in order to achieve, maintain or promote optimal health and well-being.”

Types of Self Care

There are 5 types of Self-Care

Physical

Physical self-care is basically taking care of your body. Managing and tracking your health by attending your healthcare appointments, and taking your medications as prescribed by a doctor are all part of a healthy physical self-care routine.

Emotional

It refers to the act of becoming aware of and identifying what you are feeling and allowing yourself to channel those feelings in a way that benefits your over all health.

Psychological

While emotional self-care explores your ability to manage and express emotions, psychological self-care studies mental health in a more scientific way. It evaluates how your mind processes and understands information and experiences.

Spiritual

First thing I would like to establish is that I will NEVER use my platform to impose my religious believes.

With this said…

To me, spiritual self-care is about establishing a set of values, principles and beliefs that give life meaning, and then using them to guide the decisions and actions you take.

Professional

It’s about the things you do that are related to your work life. Practicing self-care while at work, and adopting self-care practices that lead to a healthy work-life balance will make you more productive in your career.

How Does It Benefits Your Health And Well-Being

Taking some time out each day to nourish every part of ourselves helps us live healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives.

Engaging in self-care has been known to:

• Reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression
• Reduce stress
• Improve concentration
• Minimize frustration and anger
• Increase happiness
• Improve energy!

It has also been associated with longevity.

How To Start a Self Care Routine

• Take a look at your current habits. Writing them down helps! This is why many self-care practices recommend journaling!
• After writing them down, identify your self-care needs. What’s making you feel sad in your day; what’s making you feel happy?
• Write down practices that support your needs.
• Fit them into your schedule.

Here’s a list of the first 10 things I did when starting my self-care routine. They only took me 5 minutes or less each. (P.S. you don’t have to start with all of them at once.)

Want to know more about the benefits of Journaling? Click here!

When to Seek Professional Help

Self-Care can be extremely beneficial to your overall well being. However, there are times when professional health is needed to assist or guide us through our self-care process.

When to seek professional help:

• When your self-care routine isn’t addressing the underlying  problem(s) that you are going through.
• The issue is, significantly, affecting your day by day.
• Suicide or self-harm thoughts have crossed your mind.

Taking care of yourself can help you feel better physically and mentally, but it is not a substitute for professional help.

In case you are ever in need of help!

Emergency Contacts:

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

#988 has been designated as a three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This dialing code is available to everyone across The United States.

Visit 988lifeline.org for more information.

Since I’m from Puerto Rico, here is the corresponding information:

Linea PAS

1 (800) 981-0023 o 1 (800) 672-7622 La linea PAS esta disponible 24/7, 365 al ano. Esta te ofrece: sesión de desahogo, consejería en crisis y apoyo emocional y muchas ayudas mas. Para mas información puedes acceder a la pagina web lineapas.assmca.pr.gov

Linea de orientación y ayuda (LOA)

1 (787) 743-3038 Ext. 3210 La misión de LOA es “proveer servicios de orientación y ayuda para victimas-sobrevivientes de violencia sexual facilitando la identificación de recursos disponibles en la comunidad para responder a sus necesidades. Asistir a profesionales de ayuda, familiares y personas conocidas de sobrevivientes de violencia sexual proveyendo la información necesaria para apoyarles en su proceso.”

Can’t remember the number…just dial 911, saving yourself is the bravest thing you will ever do! Trust me when I say there is always someone that loves you. I have lived the pain of loosing someone dearly due to suicide…there is always the option to live and face the complications of life. You don’t have to go through it alone.

Well guys I hope this is useful for all of you! If there is any particular subject you guys would like for me to talk about, let me know in the comments bellow!

Please always keep in mind that Self-Care can include absolutely anything and everything that makes you feel better about yourself. But always keeping in mind that what makes you feel better can not in anyway negatively affect or harm another person’s well being.

Until next time,

Luna