TL; DR: Self-care is a set of things people do to support their overall health and wellness (mental and physical).
Self-care can support emotional, physical, and/or spiritual well-being among other areas of life. It is not something that you do only if you have time. It is important for your health.
We talk a lot about self care, but all of us (including us nerdy girls), can definitely focus a little more on how we can support our health with self-care.
š Self-care is defined many ways, but the World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as the skills and abilities that people and communities have to support health, prevent disease, and to manage short or long-term illness and disability with or without support from another person, either a healthcare provider or other.
Here are other important things to know about self-care:
ā”ļø Self care is the way each person figures out to make sure that they stay healthy and well. This looks different for every person. You do you!
ā”ļø Self care can apply to different areas of our lives. Emotional, physical and spiritual areas are the most common. Emotional self-care could involve connecting with others or doing something that calms you; physical self-care could involve sleep, nutrition, or exercise; and spiritual self-care might be involvement with a faith based group, an individual reflective practice, or seeking community support. These arenāt the only parts of life where we need self-care, but a few common ones.
ā”ļø Self-care helps us to handle difficult situations when they come up and to deal with lifeās stressors. When you arenāt taking care of your needs like getting enough sleep or connecting with people, this becomes harder.
ā”ļø Self care helps us to take care of others. Self-care helps us show up for other people by prioritizing ourselves. It can be a way for you to recharge your batteries. It does NOT have to cost money.
š Knowing yourself can help you figure out what the best way to support your self-care is. You can ask yourself what are the things that you need in your daily life to make sure that you can keep feeling well?
š Self-care interventions are supported by evidence and can make a difference for people who need additional support outside of the healthcare system.
The bottom line: Self-care is an important and essential part of staying well. We can all support it differently.
š«¶ We hope that you take the space and time you need for self-care. Remember that small things add up and that even one thing can help us take steps to better our mental and physical health.
Stay safe. Stay well.
Those Nerdy Girls
Additional links:
Dear Pandemic Ideas to support mental health
Mental Health First Aid Tips for Self Care
PsychCentral Definition of Self-Care
Graphic Credit: @myselflovesupply
