I think it’s time to redefine “Self Care”

To me, it’s so much more nuanced than how it sounds – and it’s ultimately not all about the “self” in isolation from community.

Here is my working description I came up with a few years ago, that I use personally and share in my work and courses:

Self-Care is an ongoing dynamic process of meeting your needs,

rooted in genuine loving care and concern for your well-being,

that is in line with your values,

and involves the SKILLS of:

 

awareness

attention

 self-reflection

self-compassion

insight

discernment

courage

ACTION

 

…and that ACTION might include:

– rest

– solitude

– social connection

– asking for help or support

– laughter, pleasure, joy

– physical activity

– time in nature, with pets

– meditation

– music

– play

– dance

– creating, art

– boundary setting

– fun or stimulating conversation

– having a tough conversation

– crying

– warm hug

– feeling sad, angry

– feeling grief

– effort, discipline

– SERVICE

 

Reflect on what you might add to your list and what “self-care” means to you; keeping in mind we live in community, are interdependent, and we all require degrees of support — so the term “supported self-care” or “we-care” is often a helpful reframe.

 

To learn some practices to cultivate the above SKILLS,

here’s a list of self-care resources including my webinar (with lifetime access to replay):

“Self-Care for Health Professionals During Challenging Times”

Sign up HERE to watch, participate and learn, and receive lifetime access to the recording on Embodia Academy.

 

For 25% off the video class series that includes a series of movement, mindfulness, breathing and reflective practices to cultivate self-compassion at:
Use coupon code:
selfcompassion25

 

** Image credit of adorable dog lounging in bathrobe in cozy bed holding bottle of Pellegrino courtesy Roberto Nickson via unsplash **