Self-care is as essential as breathing. Personally, self-care is the practice of looking after and prioritizing own mental and physical wellbeing. Looking after your mental health and physical health. Caring for others in your community, friends and family can help take the focus or fear off yourself and deflect in a healthy manner.
While self-care can mean different things for different people, it is a broad term that covers what a person does or engages in to improve or preserve their physical and mental well-being.
Below are different self-care examples broken down into other areas of self-care.
Physical health
Self-care includes activities that make a person feel physically well and helps maintain their physical health.
A 2016 study on self-care practices of college students found that practices like sleep hygiene and food habits are positively associated with student engagement, persistence, and performance.
Examples of this include:
- getting enough sleep
- eating healthy food
- going for a walk
- drinking plenty of water
- practicing good personal hygiene
- taking a relaxing bath
Learn more about the benefits of exercise for physical and mental health.
Mental health
Self-care for mental health encompasses everything a person does to keep a healthy relationship with their mind. These include activities that keep the mind focused and engaged, like brain-stimulating activities.
According to NIMHTrusted Source, self-care can have several benefits to a person’s mental health. These include:
- lowering the risk of illness
- boosting energy levels
- reducing stress
Examples of mental self-care activities include:
- getting regular exercise
- reading a book
- learning a new hobby or skill
- listening to a podcast
- doing a digital detox
- practicing mindfulness
Emotional self-care
A person needs to learn how to acknowledge and regulate emotions as they arise and healthily process them. Emotional self-care can help individuals navigate their feelings, increase empathy, and learn coping mechanisms to deal with difficult emotions.
Some examples of emotional self-care are:
- journaling
- meditating
- practicing self-compassion and gratitude
- listening to music
- being aware of one’s boundaries and implementing them
Learn more about how to set boundaries.
Spiritual self-care
Spiritual self-care involves activities that center on spirituality and activities that nurture the soul. These include:
- engaging in prayer and meditation
- attending a worship service
- doing yoga
- self-reflection
- reflection
- walking in nature
- attending a retreat
A 2019 review found that yoga and mind-body meditation reduced stress and burnout among healthcare workers, as well as improved their quality of sleep.
Social life self-care
Humans are social beings who need regular interaction. Social relationships are beneficial for a person’s health and well-being while being isolated can negatively affect a person’s mental, emotional, and physical health.
A 2018 studyTrusted Source found that loneliness and lower perceived social support are associated with poorer outcomes in mental health conditions like:
Social self-care involves activities that build and grow a person’s relationships. These include:
- engaging in healthy social media use
- spending time with family and friends
- keeping a date night on the calendar
- calling loved ones
- trying new hobbies and joining groups to meet and socialize with others
Learn more about the health benefits of being social.
Workplace self-care
Employees may find it essential to engage in activities that allow them to share their skills and strengths and make them feel fulfilled in their careers. This may also include striving for a work-life balance and doing tasks that prevent burnout.
A 2020 American Psychological Association (APA) survey found that three in five employees experience adverse impacts of work-related stress, like lack of interest, motivation, or energy and lack of effort at work.
Self-care examples related to work include:
- spending time with co-workers outside of work hours
- attending seminars and conferences
- taking a mental health break or vacation leave when necessary
- using time management
- not responding to work emails or messages outside of office hours
Learn more about how to deal with work anxiety.
Financial self-care
Self-care may also include managing one’s finances and actively meeting one’s financial goals and obligations.
A 2022 study found that financial literacy is a better predictor of happiness than income.
Examples of financial self-care activities include:
- completing tax responsibilities on time
- meeting with a financial advisor
- paying bills
- budgeting money
- learning about money management
Why is Self-Care Important?
Looking after oneself is crucial to living a healthy and happy life. Amid increasingly busy lives, it can be easy to forget about looking after oneself. But engaging in self-care can help people feel better in different areas of their lives, including their health, relationships, and work.