Self-Care Information Page

Self-care is a buzzword that has been around for a while, and as a result, many of us may have an idea in our minds about what it means. For some, it sounds like a really girly, pampering, bubble-baths and face masks type of thing, but while self-care can include those things, it also encompasses a lot more than that too. Most of us do some self-care actions every day without even realising that’s what we are doing, because its just part of our daily routine. However, those are the things that can become hard to maintain when we are struggling with our mental health, or that can impact our mental health if we stop doing them, and that’s why self-care is so important. Everybody needs to engage in self-care to keep ourselves healthy, both mentally and physically.

Self-care is empowering. An act of self-care is something we can take control of. It’s accessible – everyone can do some kind of self-care.

When undertaking self-care, especially if you haven’t done any for a while, it’s important to not overload yourself – take time to figure out what works for you and go at your own pace. Try one or two things at first and try to have them as established habits before you move on to something else. Habit stacking can help when introducing new acts of self-care – this is where you add something new onto an already established habit. For example, if you want to start making your bed every morning and you’ve never done it before, but you make a cup of tea or coffee every morning, try making your bed while the water is boiling, or the coffee is brewing. Your brain will link the old habit and the new one and help make it easier for you to keep the new one going.

What is self-care?

Self-care is how you take care of yourself – your diet, exercise, daily routine, relationships, and how you are feeling. It can be hard to do self-care when our mental health is bad – we can feel like we don’t deserve it, like we are unable to do it, or that it is selfish or indulgent. It can also be hard to do when we are feeling good because we can feel like we don’t need it. However, self-care is essential – a vital act of self-kindness – allowing us to take care of ourselves. Instead of using it relative to how we are feeling, we should view it as the fuel to keep up going.

Self-care includes essential acts of care, but it also includes things that nourish, comfort, calm and make us feel good. Self-care can vary from person to person, and it’s important to find out what it looks like for you. Sometimes self-care acts aren’t things we enjoy doing – this is known as boring self-care and can include things like taking medication or paying a bill. It doesn’t really matter what self-care is, what matters is how it makes us feel. Doing the action itself (like making a phone call) might not feel good in the moment while we are doing it (for example making a phone call to make an appointment), but maybe we feel better after it’s done, or maybe the action itself did help you to feel better (for example if the phone call was to a friend).

Self-care doesn’t need to cost a lot (or any) money. It can be hard sometimes to keep all of our acts of self-care going. It’s important to remember that trying, or doing a bit of something, still counts – we aren’t striving for perfection. When we engage in self-care, it signals to ourselves and others what our standards our for ourselves.

Why is self-care important?

Self-care is important because a lot of the acts are aimed at keeping ourselves either mentally or physically healthy, or both. It can help us to learn when we are becoming unwell (either because we feel unwell despite doing our self-care, or because we notice our self-care is getting harder), and it can help us to identify any triggers for becoming unwell. Some acts of self-care can have direct impacts on our health. For example, exercise triggers endorphins which help us to feel happier; nutrition and hydration help nourish us physically and mentally, and comforting acts can help us rest and destress. Self-care can help to reduce burnout, and increase resilience, too. Some acts of self-care can directly impact our mental health by boosting our self-esteem and sense of worth. Even really small tasks can make us feel like we are making progress and achieving something (have you ever noticed how much better you sometimes feel after taking a shower, or even brushing your teeth?) – because we are achieving something.

Mental illness can make us believe that we don’t matter, and self-care counters that because it involves taking time to do something just for our own good. This shows us that we are worthy of attention and care (which everyone is).

Examples of self-care:

Physical self-care

Psychological self-care

Life self-care

Social self-care

Comfort/ fun self-care