As human beings, we have the ability to love, act, speak, think, and care. We have the independence to explore ourselves and have the disposition to think of self-care ideas or activities for ourselves and others, and also to seek professional health care if needed. In this article, let’s talk about creating a self-care routine that’s uniquely yours.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care, in short, is the ability of anyone to take care of oneself. Dorothea Orem posited the theory that focuses on the performance of activities that individuals do of their own volition to maintain life, and well-being. The Theory of Self Care has categories of requisites that should be evident in every self-caring individual.
Universal Self Care Requisites
These are activities associated with keeping the functioning integrity and maintenance of the human structure.
Developmental Self Care Requisites
These are processes that are derived from a condition associated with a specific event.
Health Deviation Self Care Requisites
These are processes done in response to an illness, injury, or any health issue that may require diagnosis and treatment.
Basically, this theory suggests that human beings have the innate ability to take care of themselves. We are able to recognize processes that we need to do to keep our body alive (i.e. breathing), we have the ability to adapt in every environment that pursues self-preservation, and seek assistance if the issue is way beyond our own control.
Taking care of ourselves is embedded in our psyche. But that doesn’t mean that we all take the time to do it. Humans are motivated by habit. The routines we develop determine our personality and how we live our life. But our minds sometimes work counterintuitively to the things that we need to do. Being convinced by our brain to do the wrong thing too often can develop a bad habit. So identifying those small steps to create good habits is key to finding a balanced self-caring lifestyle.
Components of Self Care
Self-care can be divided into 3 components. They are:
Physical
Exercising, eating fruits and vegetables, dieting, or any activity that promotes a healthy physical being is part of physical self-care. Find any activity that will promote good physical health and that you also enjoy doing. Find your balance.
Mental
Breaking down stress and beating anxiety is the main goal of mental self-care. Finding ways to declutter your mind, creating a daily schedule, and finding activities that you enjoy are very important to reduce stress and anxiety.
Emotional
Find activities that keep you in touch with your emotions. Sometimes stress can come out of negative experiences. Listen to your favorite songs, socialize, motivate yourself and others, and be with the people that uplift you.
How Can I Create My Own Self Care Routine?
Think of the self-care ideas or activities that suit you.
Following generic tips and steps may not work for everyone. Learn to find the things that make you happy. Put that on a list on a piece of paper.
Look for ways to incorporate that in your daily life.
This will be a practice of discipline and consistency. I’m almost 100% sure that most of the things you listed on the paper are not part of your daily routine. It will be crucial to incorporate the activities in times that will not be a bother to you. Incorporating cannabinoids into your daily routine can also be an act of self-care.
Set realistic goals.
You can put “playing basketball” on the weekends, “meditate every Monday”, whatever it may be, put it in a time that fits with your schedule. Your body and habit will fight you in doing the activity if it coincides with a big part of your daily habit.
Evaluate.
Make sure to evaluate yourself after seven days. Of all the self-care ideas and activities you set to do in a week, which one was the easiest, hardest, will you most likely not do moving forward, etc. Be honest with yourself.
Adjust.
Once you made a true and honest evaluation, tweak and modify your current self-care activities to your goals.
Remember, self-care is important and should be done with joy. Doing good activities that don’t make you smile is just work.
All information contained in this article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a physician or a qualified healthcare provider for any questions regarding your health and well-being
