August is Self-Awareness Month
Self-Care
Self-care is gaining more and more attention as a trendy buzzword these days, however, there is much more to self-care than what is talked about on Tiktok! Most people think of self-care as having a spa day, eating hot chips, and watching Netflix in bed, which isn’t wrong, but self-care is much more complex. Self-care is all about learning what “fills your cup” and then actively taking care of yourself as needed before burning out or taking your emotions out on others. There are actually five different types of self-care: emotional, mental, physical, practical, and even spiritual.
Emotional self-care is practicing self-acceptance, kindness, and love. This is spending time with friends, family and beloved pets. Maybe writing yourself inspirational notes or journaling to get negative emotions out of your head and onto paper. Emotional self-care is creating an opportunity for yourself to create or express emotions.
Mental self-care is tending to your mind and either letting your brain relax or be challenged. This could be taking a break from social media or playing some mindless games. However, this could also be learning something new, reading a book, or crossing items off of your to-do list. Mental self-care is essential for avoiding burnout!
Physical self-care is all about taking care of your body. This could be the basics, like getting enough sleep, having some light exercise, drinking water, and maintaining food hygiene. Physical self-care could also be stretching, doing yoga, dancing, eating nutritious snacks, and even just taking time to focus on your breathing. Physical self-care does not have to be difficult or boring!
Practical self-care is nearly the opposite of what people think of when they envision “self-care”. This is a form of self-care that is doing tasks that you have been putting off that you should do, and (prooobably should have done about a month ago if we are being real). Some examples of practical self-care are creating a budget, engaging in meal prep, cleaning and organizing your living space, and generally embracing new systems that will benefit you in the long run.
Spiritual self-care is one form of self-care that is often forgotten about. This form of self-care is about tending to your spiritual needs, such as meditating, praying, taking a long nature walk, or even volunteering in your community. Spiritual self-care can be done by someone who is religious or secular.
Self-Awareness
So now that we know about all kinds of self-care, there is one more important component to discuss: self-awareness. For how can we take care of ourselves and “fill our cup” if we don’t know how or when to do this? We must stay mindful and cognizant of our warning signs so that we can start to take a little extra care with ourselves. We should not wait to help ourselves until it’s too late and we have already hit burnout. Warning signs to look for are the following: easily irritable, loss of focus, trouble starting or completing tasks, feelings of anxiety or depression, and so much more. We should figure out why we are feeling tired, irritable, angry, depressed, or upset and determine how to remedy this. Do we need to socialize or vent to someone? Or take some time to ourself to get some R&R? Remember, it isn’t selfish to engage in self-care, so use some of the strategies discussed above! And if you have trouble with being aware of your emotions, triggers, warning signs, and what generally fills your cup, it is okay to reach out for help. Call Peninsula Child and Family Services today to work towards a better tomorrow!
- Ciera Canaday, LCSW
Clinical Director and Psychotherapist