Self-Care Plans That Stick
In today’s society people are sharing different tips and tricks in creating a “self-care” plan to promote better well-being and mental health. Most of the ideas shared are take a walk, journal, or pamper yourself. While all of those things can be impactful in helping ourselves, are they really sustainable?
I’m talking about when it’s been a really tough day and taking a walk isn’t even an option. It might be raining, you might be sick, or you can’t even find the energy to get out of bed. Where is that self care plan now? It looks great on paper, but will it stick when times get tough and your schedule gets overwhelming? Maybe.
Let’s start from the beginning. What is self-care or wellness? Self-care is the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health. Wellness is the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal. Isn’t this the goal? To create time in our busy days to be... well? It sounds great on paper, but how do we stick to it?
There are 4 main categories of a well-rounded self-care plan, and these can be adjusted to what you value/need for yourself. Physical (movement, hydration, sleep), mental (cognitive challenge, relaxating, clean and orderly environment), spiritual (inward, outward), and social (intimate relationships, friendships, family) are all parts that create us to be whole. With the new year beginning only 2 months ago, and alongside it, new year’s resolutions being made, I challenge you to stick to a self-care plan that YOU create for YOU. Don’t overwhelm yourself with tasks that you dread doing or won’t stick to. Below are some examples that fall into the 4 main categories.
Physical: create a consistent bedtime/wake time, drink water, exercise, eat healthier
Mental: journal, gratitude journal, expressive arts, plan out the day/week, create a 5 year ideal plan, organize a space
Social: spend time with healthy friendships/relationships, do an activity with someone
Spiritual: meditate, mindfulness, pray, read
Do you need help creating a sustainable and personalized plan to take care of yourself? Maybe the above seems really attainable but overwhelming at first glance? I am excited to sit with you and create a system that works for you, not something that just looks good on paper. Take care of you. Self-care is not selfish. Neither is therapy.
Authored by: Chloe Orrvar, M.S.