Is self care selfish? Certainly not when it is something that gives you the energy and resources to be there for the people in your life. Self-care can be anything that helps you manage your stress and promote your own whole health and well-being. This includes your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual self.
Circle of Health
The eight components of the Circle of Health offer a glimpse of the areas of your life where you can practice caring for yourself. What can you do to take care of yourself? Start with these ideas:
- Fuel your body with healthy nutrition and drink water to stay hydrated (Food and Drink).
- Get enough sleep so your body can recover and restore (Recharge).
- Move your body by walking, doing a workout or outdoor activity that you enjoy (Moving the Body).
- Take time to slow down by reading, praying, connecting spiritually (Spirit and Soul).
- Practice gratitude, be mindful, meditate, and just breathe (Power of the Mind).
- Learn something new (Personal Development).
- Spend some time in nature or create a more healing environment by decluttering one of your living spaces (Surroundings).
- Make time for the people you love (Family, Friends and Co-workers)
Self Care Action Plan
Self care is not selfish, and it should be a daily practice. When you have a healthy routine, you can better care for others (spouse, children, patients, etc.). When you do self care, you model it to those others. We encourage you to develop your own daily self care action plan.
► Get started by completing your Personal Health Inventory. Decide what really matters in your life and what goals you want to achieve.
► Take five minutes right now to practice self care with this Grounding Meditation with Christiane Wolf, MD, Ph.D.
Meditation is a practice or technique that primarily focuses on training attention-regulation processes. That is, it’s a practice that trains you to focus, to concentrate, to cultivate mental well-being. It is one of the complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches within the VA Whole Health System of care.