As we get into the New Year, you might be thinking about goals you’d like to achieve and changes you want to make for 2023. More often than not we look towards self-improvement or ways we can make changes (big or small) in our lives for the better.

The term self-care may seem clichéd. We all know it’s important and you might have a general idea of what it means, but because of its popularity, you might not know its full meaning or how to apply it to your life.

If you want to know more about what self-care is, why it’s important, and how to make it a priority in your life, we’re covering all that and more so keep reading!

What Is Self-Care?

In short, self-care is taking proper care of your mental and physical health. But it’s more than eating healthy or taking a vacation, it’s about making time for yourself on a regular basis and ensuring that you’re focusing on the types of self-care that are important to you.

There are 5 basic types of self-care, they include mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social categories. Ideally, you’d strike a balance between all 5, but there’s no one size fits all solution for everyone. You might need to pay more attention to certain types of self-care than others.

But that’s easier said than done. Our lives can get so busy with work, family, and home responsibilities that we don’t make caring for ourselves a priority.

Keep reading to learn why and how you should make time for self-care.

Why Is Self-Care Important?

Now that you know more about what self-care is, we should also review why it’s so important.

A good analogy to understanding the impact is comparing your energy to water in a bucket. If you’re constantly pouring water out of the bucket without stopping to refill it, then you’ll eventually run out of water. Self-care is, in part, taking time to refill your bucket.

Practicing self-care not only refreshes your energy but also helps you manage stress and lower your risk of illness.

Studies have shown that incorporating self-care into your routine can lower anxiety and depression, and reduce heart disease, stroke, and cancer. While also improving focus, reducing frustration and anger, increasing happiness, and more. There are so many benefits on mental, physical, and spiritual levels (Southern New Hampshire University).

How to Make Self-Care a Priority?

Self-care looks different for everyone depending on your personality, desires, needs, and lifestyle. If you’re not sure what types of self-care work best for you, we’ll review some examples in addition to covering ways you can make it a priority in your life.

The Types of Self-Care and What Self-Care Is to You

As we mentioned, self-care doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. So the first step is to think about what types of self-care are lacking in your life and what activities and practices you want to incorporate.

Mental self-care is anything that engages and stimulates your mind, like

Reading
Listening to podcasts or audiobooks
Journaling
Hobbies
Learning or developing a new skill

Physical self-care involves keeping your body healthy, like

Exercise
Getting regular physical check-ups
Eating healthy
Sleeping well

Emotional self-care helps you process difficult emotions as a response to challenges in life. Emotional self-care takes many forms and can be physical or mental. It includes things like

Therapy
Spending quality time with loved ones
Journaling

Spiritual self-care involves taking care of your spirit. The idea that there is something more than what we can see and feel in the world. This is traditionally thought of as formalized religion but is not limited to that. It can include anything that helps you gain a deeper connection with or understanding of the world. Examples include

Meditation
Mindfulness
Religious services

Social self-care is about maintaining and developing your relationships. We’re social creatures and studies have shown that we’re healthier and happier when we have good social connections. Social self-care includes any kind of positive social interaction or activity with friends and family.

Make It Part of Your Routine

Next, once you’ve determined what types of self-care you need in your life and what activities or practices you want to incorporate, make it part of your regular routine.

If you can’t imagine when you’ll make time in your schedule then think about times of day when things are quieter in your household, this can be in the early morning or evenings.

Or maybe you can introduce an activity while you’re getting something else done, like catching up with friends or family members on your drive home from work or listening to a podcast while you’re doing laundry.

Even just starting small and dedicating 15 min a day can make a difference.

Routines typically take about a month or two to form, the hardest part is getting started. Once you make a point to do something for 60 days, it’ll then be part of your regular routine and won’t feel like extra effort.

Set Boundaries

Another aspect of self-care is recognizing when you take on too much and learning when and how to cut back. This means setting clear boundaries with others, but also with yourself.

Identify the signs that you’re overloaded and learn how to say no. Also, adjusting your priorities can really help – differentiate what needs to get done vs. what can wait or what you can live without.

Focus on What You Can Control

Events and factors outside of our control often cause us stress and anxiety. One way you can reduce stress is to focus on what you can control and solutions to problems, instead of fixating on problems outside of your control.

Treat Yourself With Kindness

We all have negative thoughts about ourselves and are often our own worst critics. But if you regularly beat yourself up or feel you’re constantly falling short, then rethink how you treat yourself.

Frequently focusing on negative self-thoughts will train your brain to perceive yourself in that way.

One way to help retrain your brain is to think about how you would talk to a friend or family member in the same situation. It’s likely you would be a lot kinder to them. So practice that same sort of kindness and compassion with yourself. Focus on positivity and practice gratitude.

Ensure You’re Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep is imperative to our health and well-being, but it’s one of the most common things people deprive themselves of. Life takes over and soon you’re sacrificing sleep for work and family obligations. Or you might have stress and anxiety keeping you up at night.

Not only do you feel better and have more energy when you’ve had a sufficient night's sleep, but chronic lack of sleep can also increase your risk for certain illnesses (The Sleep Foundation).

On average adults need 7-8 hours of sleep, but each individual has their own sleep needs. Some only need 6 hours while others need 9 or 10 hours regularly. Once you’ve identified how much sleep you need, create a sleep schedule and stick to it.

Review Your Diet and Exercise Routine

Taking stock of your diet and exercise habits is also a good way to ensure you’re practicing good self-care.

If you’re dining out or ordering takeout a lot, it can be easy to make unhealthy choices. To ensure you have a balanced diet make sure to incorporate plenty of fruits and vegetables, avoid processed foods, and stay hydrated.

This doesn’t mean you can't enjoy your favorite foods that aren’t as healthy, but just make sure it's in moderation.

Exercise needs will depend upon your goals and lifestyle but in general, you should aim to have 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily (Mayo Clinic).

Reevaluate Your Home

At AHG Interiors we know that interior spaces play an important role in our daily lives. They not only affect how our lives function but they affect how we feel and play an important role in our happiness.

In the spirit of self-care, take a look at your home and see if any improvements need to be made. If your home could use an upgrade then we want to help make that dream a reality! We specialize in creating beautiful, custom, and functional spaces (inside and out) that are designed to last.

Get in touch with us today to discuss your project.

8 Simple Ways You Can Prioritize Self-Care in Your Life

Get Organized: How to Refresh Your Home for the New Year

How to Throw a Sustainable NYE Party Without Minimizing the Fun