The 7 Pillars of Self-care

Self-care is extremely important, especially as we enter the stressful holiday season. You can practice self-care in many ways: exercise, eat well, meditate, seek therapy, and more.

Each method of self-care fits into one of the seven pillars: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational, and social. A well-balanced self-care routine involves each of these, so avoid restricting yourself to just one or two pillars. The seven pillars are broken down below with examples on how to practice each one. 

1. Mental

Mental Self-Care involves creating a healthy mindset through mindfulness and curiosity. You can do this through journaling, meditation, thinking outside of the box, creating a brain dump list at the start of each day, and taking an intentional break from screen time (TV, internet, and phone usage). 

2. Emotional

To practice emotional self-care, you want to create healthy coping strategies for any stresses that might occur in your daily life. You can do this by watching your favorite movie, listening to music, writing positive affirmations for yourself, asking others for help when you need it, and setting boundaries to protect yourself and your heart.

3. Physical

Physical self-care involves taking care of your body with rest, nutrition, and movement. Some examples of physical self-care include eating meals at regular times, drinking plenty of water each day, taking a daily multivitamin, getting a good night’s sleep, and trying a new group fitness class.

4. Environmental

Taking care of the places around you and the places you love, you’ll need to practice environmental self-care. To do this, rearrange your workspace with a peaceful arrangement, explore new places, declutter your living space, go for walks outdoors, and appeal to your five senses.

5. Spiritual

Activities or practice that give you a sense of meaning provide you with spiritual self-care. Some of these activities or practices could be spending time in nature, finding a community, identifying the values that are most important to you and volunteering.

6. Recreational

It’s important to make time for hobbies and activities that interest you. Doing so will result in practicing recreational self-care. Some activities include taking time for hobbies, going on an adventure, taking time to relax and do nothing, playing board games or video games, and switching up your daily routine.

7. Social

Building relationships and making connections with healthy boundaries is the best way to practice social self-care. Some examples of social self-care are connecting with friends, calling your relatives, writing a letter to a friend, talking to a support group, and chatting with an online community.

When you’re feeling down or stressed, listen to your body and the type of self-care it needs. Taking time for you is crucial to maintain overall health and wellness.