Self Care

The idea of self-care started with the Ancient Greeks and was defined as the act of loving yourself. The Ancient Greeks believed that the more you were able to love yourself, the more you were able to love others. Today, self-care is defined as an action that somebody takes and makes a part of their daily living to prevent illness and maintain both their physical and mental health.

One type of self-care is physical self-care. Examples of physical self-care are exercising regularly, eating healthier, wearing clothes that you like, getting a manicure/pedicure, getting your hair done, or going to the doctor when needed. Another type of self-care is emotional self-care. Activities that can be used to engage in this type of self-care are allowing yourself to experience your emotions without judgment, allowing yourself to cry, engaging in something that makes you laugh, or complimenting yourself. Psychological self-care is another type of self-care and some examples of this type are learning to (and being ok) with saying no, learning something new, or self-reflection. Spiritual self-care can apply to those who are religious as well as to those who are not. Volunteering, meditating, spending time in nature, and highlighting the non-material aspects of life are all activities that can help in taking spiritual self-care. The last type of self-care is professional self-care. This type of self-care can apply to both individuals who work and those who are in school. Examples of professional self-care can be allowing yourself time to converse with coworkers, taking breaks when needed, decorating your workspace, and finding a balance when it comes to workload. Implementing self-care in all of these aspects of your life is important for your overall health.

Now that you have a better understanding of what self-care is, why is it important? Implementing self-care has several benefits. Making self-care a part of your daily life can improve immunity, increase positive thinking, help you feel calm and relaxed, can help you manage stress, and can help in preventing depression, anxiety, unhappiness, low self-esteem, feelings of resentment, insomnia, heart disease, and various other physical and mental issues. If you have an illness or stress that already exist, it can also help you better manage living with that illness or stress.

Self-care can look different for everybody and while some activities are helpful to some, they may not be helpful to others. Now that you understand what self-care is and why it is important, it is time to figure out what self-care is going to look like for you. In the resource provided below, you can find a self-care assessment which offers effective strategies to maintain self-care and a self-care plan to help you implement self-care into your life.

https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/promotion/sites/healthpromo/files/self%20care%20assessment%20and%20planning.pdf

written by Kayla Snavley

The Power of Positive Self-Talk

All of us have messages that repeatedly play in our minds.  This inner discussion structures the way we react to situations that may occur in our everyday lives.  In order to live  healthy and happy we must purposely pack the thoughts in our minds with positive self-talk.  Most of the time, our self-talk is negative because we remember the bad things we were told as a youth as well as negative reactions from other children.  These awful past experiences tend to slowly lower our self-esteem because these messages have continuously played over and over in our minds.

To recognize the foundation of the damaging messages and then work with the individual to deliberately “overwrite” them is one of the most important things we use in therapy with people who suffer from depression.  For example, we would show someone how valuable they actually are if that person was taught as a child they were worthless. 

References

Jantz, G. L. (2016, May 16). The Power of Positive Self-Talk. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/201605/the-power-positive-self-talk

Positive Self-Talk

By: Brittany Jones

Yesterday I sat by a pond

Pondering upon my self’s reflection.

It appeared that I was faced

With someone else’s face

Because the discouraged countenance staring back at me

Had the darkness of unworthiness written all over it.

There was absolutely no need to read between the lines to see that

That darkness was as dark as the darkest night.

I then told my liquid mirror,

“That image is not either you nor I.”

You have to see that our eyes

Are as bright as the highest IQ.

I am here and am definitely not def or dumb.

My pond will reflect enlightening expressions

That I will use as bate to debate

With thoughts of failure as I fish for internal truth.

I know that from within my heart’s treasure chest

Which resides within my chest,

That I will never again be a pawn

To that dark knight of unworthiness.

By: Brittany Jones

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