WHO’s working definition of self-care is :
“The ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider”. 1
Personal self-care is the practice of individuals doing activities that helps them better manage their own health using the knowledge and resources available to them. It is a decision-making process that empowers individuals to look after their own health efficiently and conveniently, in collaboration with health and social care professionals as needed.
Personal self-care has been defined as “a multidimensional, multifaceted process of purposeful engagement in strategies that promote healthy functioning and enhance well-being.[1]” It is conscious act a person takes in order to promote their own physical, mental, and emotional health.
Self-care involves:
- Making healthy lifestyle choices – being physically active and eating healthily
- Avoiding unhealthy lifestyle habits – avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
- Making responsible use of prescription and non-prescription medicines
- Self-recognition of symptoms – assessing and addressing symptoms, in partnership with a healthcare professional where necessary
- Self-monitoring – checking for signs of deterioration or improvement
- Self-management – managing symptoms of disease, either alone, in partnership with healthcare professionals, or alongside other people with the same health condition
Physical self-care includes exercise, getting proper sleep, eating healthy, and managing your physical health needs.
“Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves.”
— Princess Diana
Social Self-Care
- Socialization is key to self-care as having a healthy social support system, hobbies and interests, and causes you care about is key!
- The key is to figure out what your social needs are and to build enough time in your schedule to create an optimal social life.
Mental Self-Care
Mental health self-care involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy.
Spiritual Self-Care
Research shows that a lifestyle including religion or spirituality is generally a healthier lifestyle.
Nurturing your spirit, however, doesn’t have to involve religion. It can involve anything that helps you develop a deeper sense of meaning, understanding, or connection with the universe.5
Whether you enjoy meditation, attending a religious service, or praying, spiritual self-care is important.
Emotional Self-Care
It’s important to have healthy coping skills to deal with uncomfortable emotions, like anger, anxiety, relationship and parenting stress, and sadness. Emotional self-care may include activities that help you acknowledge and express your feelings regularly and safely.
Why Is Self-Care Important?
Having an effective self-care routine has been shown to have a number of important health benefits. Some of these include:
- Reducing anxiety and depression
- Reducing stress and improving resilience
- Improving happiness
- Increasing energy
- Reducing burnout
- Stronger interpersonal relationships
Develop Your Self-Care Plan
An effective self-care plan should be tailored to your life and your needs. It needs to be something created by you, for you. Customizing your own self-care plan can act as a preventative measure to make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed, overstressed, and burned out.
- Dorociak KE, Rupert PA, Bryant FB, Zahniser E. Development of a self-care assessment for psychologists. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 2017;64(3):325-334. doi:10.1037/cou0000206https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000206