self care

Practical tips for looking after yourself

Select a topic by clicking the button below or scroll down to explore and discover how to take care of yourself.

What is self-care?

Today’s world is busier than ever, and too often we must juggle work, friends, family and more - and more often than not, we don’t include ourselves in the equation. Self-care is more than just looking after your physical health; it also means being aware of your own MENTAL health. Have you been taking care of yourself? Take a minute to think about the things that you do for self-care - even the small things. This might be having a healthy meal, getting a good night’s sleep, catching up with your friends or any other activities that may bring you joy.

Why is self-care important?

Implementing self-care into your life can benefit you in so many ways. Namely, it increases your capacity to cope with pressure, making you less susceptible to physical or mental health issues. Even more than this, being conscious about your health can help to stabilise your emotions, which will benefit your own life and your personal relationships. Listen to your body when you need self-care.

Be aware of your well-being

Self-care itself might sound like a vague idea, but it can be made clearer by breaking it down into the following questions.

Do I feel tired when I wake up in the morning?
Am I eating noticeably more/less than usual?
Do I have time just for myself?
Do I have time to catch up with people that I care about?
Do I have time to reflect on things that happened during the day?
How would I describe my day?
What are my emotions for the day? Why?

If you want to care more about your wellbeing, it’s important to ask yourself these questions and start having a plan for self-care.

Having a self-care plan

To start taking care of yourself, it’s important to implement a self-care plan. When setting this up, it can be helpful to categorise your plan into physical, mental and emotional needs.

Follow these tips to get a better understanding of some ideas for your self-care plan. All you need to do is start somewhere - pick one thing from each list to start implementing today.

Physical

Eat healthy food
Get some good sleep (Aim for 7-8 hours)
Physical activity (Aim for 30mins)
Drink enough water (Aim for 2L)
Keep yourself warm/cool
Do some housework

Mental

Start a reflective journal
Practice meditation
Catch up with family and friends
Find some activities that brings you joy
Save some time for yourself
Have time for relaxation

Emotional

Be aware of your emotions
Find healthy ways to express your emotions
It is ok to have negative emotions, but make sure you know how to process these without ruminating on them, and to make yourself feel better.

Each person may have different ideas and values towards self-care. As a result, the plan for self-care may be different. It is more important to have a self-care plan that works for YOU, and change the plan when needed.