15 ideas for self-care

Good self-care is key to having strong, healthy relationships with yourself and others. It enables a healthy work-life balance and recognises that workaholism is not a virtue! It helps you deal with stress better, improves your mood, boosts your energy and self-esteem, and promotes better physical health.

You can practice self-care through the mindset, activities and habits you create to help deal with stress, illness, unhappiness and other negative emotions.

Self-care is not self-indulgent or even lazy – it is simply recognising what you need to deal with difficult situations. Just like the saying, “You cannot serve from an empty vessel,” you need to take time to replenish your spirit and look at the things that matter to help both yourself and others.

Ask yourself this question: “Do you
take care of yourself?” Most people
will answer “Yes,” but when it comes to defining how they care for themselves, the answer may not be as simple.

While self-care is simple in theory, it’s something that can easily be overlooked when life gets busy. Therefore, self-care needs to be undertaken deliberately with a focus on all aspects of your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health.

While everyone’s definition of self-care can mean different things, there is a basic self-care list that can be followed by all of us. This includes:

• Eating a nutritious, healthy diet
• Drinking two to three litres of water a day
• Exercising regularly
• Getting enough sleep – adults need seven to nine hours a night
• Keeping up to date with medical care and check ups
• Spending time with loved ones.

The list to the right contains ideas for self-care activities. Naturally, not everyone will enjoy them all, but try the ones that interest or excite you. Don’t put off self-care until next week or next month – get started today and see the difference it makes in your life!