The 8 Areas of Self-Care That Need Your Attention

The 8 Areas of Self-Care That Need Your Attention- And How to Apply Them to Your Daily Life

There are different ways to experience self-care. However, understanding the 8 areas of self-care and various ways to take of yourself is key to preventing burnout, feeling overwhelmed, and emotional exhaustion.

If you often feel physically, emotionally, and mentally drained, the chances are it is because you are neglecting an area of self-care that is noticeably screaming for your attention.

Did you know that they are arguably 8 different categories of self-care?

If not, that’s okay; most people don’t. What you do need to know is that most people need to attend to the needs in all of those areas of self-care, or else they risk exposing themselves to chronic and prolonged stress.

We hear the phrase “self-care” thrown around so often that we automatically assume that we know what it means when in reality, we continuously and unknowingly neglect some of the most important areas of self-care in our lives.

I think it’s safe to say that many people underestimate the significance of self-care. But when we live in a fast-paced society, where we are often overworked, overtired, and lack time, self-care has proven to be even more necessary to sustaining an overall healthy and satisfying lifestyle.

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What is self-care?

Self-care is the intentional actions you take every day to fulfill an area of need in your life. Self-care is done deliberately and on purpose and is not a luxury but a way of life. I should also say that how you look and feel can indicate how you practice self-care.

Without self-care, prolonged and chronic stress and physical, mental, and emotional fatigue are imminent.

And when we get to this point, not only is our health at risk, but we also become easily frustrated, overwhelmed, and the simplest of tasks seem difficult to achieve, hence making us unproductive.

If you neglect self-care altogether, eventually, it catches up to you and forces you to slow down through sickness.
That’s why it makes sense to know the different forms of self-care, so you’re able to recognize the areas that lack and need a little bit more engagement.

My intention for you by the end of this reading is for you to be able to identify the 8 different forms of self-care, understand each one’s contribution to your well-being, and identify the self-care areas that need more nurturing.

I also hope you can be more specific about the type of self-care you practice moving forward.

The 8 different Types of Self-care:

1) Physical self-care:

Your physical self-care is perhaps the most critical self-care type because a lack in this area can affect all other self-care categories. This type of self-care is about taking care of your physical body.

Think of it this way; you’re no good to yourself or anyone if you’re ill or dead. Part of being able to practice self-care is being physically able to do so. You can ensure that you remain in good physical condition by:

Getting an adequate amount of sleep every night
Exercising regularly
Physical touch
Good nutrition and a well-balanced diet
Taking your daily vitamins
Taking your medications as prescribed
Keeping up with your yearly or as needed health check-ups
And maintaining good hygiene

The above examples are excellent and life-sustaining ways to nurture the physical aspect of self-care.

2) Mental self-care:

Mental self-care involves your psychological and cognitive thinking and your mind’s ability to understand and process information and experience. The information you absorb and process influences your emotions. If you learn to absorb and process information in a healthy and non-distorted way, the outcomes of your feelings are more likely to be healthy as well. You can improve this self-care area by:

Going to therapy (which helps challenge negative and dysfunctional ways of thinking)
Journaling (makes sense out of your experiences and gives you clarity)
Practicing mindfulness (living in the present moment)

3) Emotional self-care:

emotional self-care involves your feelings and, ultimately, behavior. It is your emotional intelligence- management and expression of your feelings. You can develop your emotional intelligence by:

Learning to distinguish between your various emotions
Healing from childhood trauma
Identifying your triggers
Developing healthy coping skills
Learning how to deal with and manage stress
Learning to forgive
Letting go of the past

4) Social self-care:

Social self-care is your ability to build and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships with others. You know this area of self-care is okay when you are able to:

Form new personal and professional relationships
Stay connected to important people in your life
Interact with your community
Spend time with friends and family
Reach out to support systems regularly
Asking for help when needed
Set healthy boundaries

5) Spiritual self-care:

Spiritual self-care is different for everyone. Faith is more important in some communities than others. It is when you can find hope and peace in challenging situations. People do this by:

Believing in God
Going to church
Reading the Bible
Praying
Spending time alone
Being with nature
Some people meditate and do yoga

6) Environmental self-care:

Your environment matters and can affect your mental health. Having a safe, clean, stable, and healthy living environment fosters a positive mind and encourages good mental and emotional health.

7) Work self-care:

Besides the financial rewards! Work helps you be independent in creating the lifestyle you want for yourself. When you have a:

Positive workspace
Good work and life balance
Healthy work boundaries
And proper time management

Work can increase your self-confidence and self-esteem along the way.

8) Financial self-care:

Financial self-care is being in control of your finances and having a sense of security. When you have a sense of security in your finances, you have the liberty to live life on your terms without having to worry about money every day. You can improve this area by learning:

How to manage your money
Budgeting
And saving

How to know if you lack in a self-care area:

The key to practicing genuine and beneficial self-care is to be realistic with yourself. For example, if you’re 20 pounds overweight, you probably need to pay more attention to your physical self-care. Or, if you have no money in your savings account, then the obvious thing to do is to pivot to this area of self-care.

Domino Effect

I should also remind you that a lack of self-care in any of the 8 areas will eventually cause a domino effect in the other areas if overlooked long enough.

Now that you have learned and explored the different areas of self-care, I hope you can be more intentional and deliberate about the kind of self-care you practice.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
-Jim Rohn