by Kaylin Thompson – MA, LPC – Working from MCHH’s Oak Brook and Lombard offices.
July 24th marks the celebration of International Self-Care day. The day serves the purpose to highlight benefits and uses of self-care. Self-care can be a blanket term that can often muster up images of spa days and retail therapy. While these activities may be constructive for some, a more thorough definition is needed. Let’s clarify what self-care actually is and why it is necessary and valuable for your mental health.
Self-care is any action that promotes your wellness and attends to our physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Physical self-care is vital to help our bodies function optimally, reduce risk of illness, and experience benefits to mental health (American Psychological Association, 2015). Examples would include exercise, yoga, eating healthy foods, getting adequate sleep, and attending healthcare appointments as needed. Aspects of mental self-care focus on caring for our psychological well-being. Engaging in activities that are mentally stimulating such as learning or reading about subjects you enjoy or practicing self-compassion support mental self-care. Emotional self-care can be supported by talking with loved ones about feelings, journaling, utilizing boundaries, creativity, confronting difficult emotions, and using healthy coping skills. Psychotherapy is a useful outlet to maximize emotional self-care. Socialization is an essential part of our whole health, as well. Social self-care involves nurturing and engaging in meaningful relationships. (In addition, caring for yourself socially may look like attending to time needed alone to recharge your social battery, especially for introverts out there!) Monitoring social media use and its effects on your mental health is also beneficial. Lastly, spiritual self-care involves participation in your spirituality or religion. Prayer, religious services, community gatherings, and worship can lead to enrichment of our spiritual lives. Even if you are not religious, connecting with anything that leads to deeper meaning of your life and the world is a fulfilling way to expand on your self-knowledge.
As a therapist, I have heard from many individuals that self-care can feel selfish or indulgent. We may have taken in messages from family or culture that emphasizes selflessness. The negative connotation associated with self-care can often present an obstacle to engaging in this holistic opportunity for our health. Ultimately self-care has been extensively researched and found to improve happiness, increase energy, reduce depression and anxiety, prevent burnout, encourage resilience, and build stronger relationships (World Health Organization, 2024). Caring well for ourselves has even shown to increase our lifespan and find a sense of purpose in life (JAMA Heart Association, 2019). When we encounter this enrichment for our lives, we ultimately can contribute more fully not only to ourselves but also to our loved ones, communities, and our workplaces.
Self-care requires an individualized approach as we all have different needs, priorities, and goals. Therapy can help equip you with the insight and awareness needed to best understand the self-care you need the most. A therapist can help support you and keep you accountable for your self-care plans. Regular therapy appointments can serve as a marker of self-care in its ability to address emotional and mental self-care. If you or a loved one could be benefitted by the help of a licensed mental health professional, call our office to schedule an appointment and begin taking steps to bettering your self-care.