Valentine’s Day is coming closer, the spring semester is starting to pick up, and you may already find yourself overwhelmed trying to balance your life. As you fit in time for the special people in your life and keep up with this year’s challenges, it can be hard to remember that your needs matter.
In vlogger Laci Green’s video “How to Self Care?!” she defines “self-care” as “the deliberate act of regulating and attending to one’s own physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.” Laci shares four categories she uses for self-care: basic survival needs, meeting your own social needs, creating a healthy work and life balance, and meeting your own intellectual needs. This article can’t cover everything; self-care can be anything you need to feel like your best self.
Taking care of ourselves creates a healthy foundation for everything else we have to get done. Here are tips on finding what your needs are and how to practice self-care wherever you are.
1. Basic Survival Needs
Remember to take care of yourself on the fundamental levels. It doesn’t sound hard, but sometimes you may forget to have a snack, a drink of water, or that you are a human being who needs more than 3 hours of sleep and a can of Pringles to survive.
You need:Food: Eat the food your body needs, and put a snack in your bag so you don’t forget to eat.Water: Stay hydrated! Carry a water bottle with you, or download an app like Plant Nanny that encourages and reminds you to drink water.Showers: Taking ten minutes out of your day to shower helps you be and feel refreshed.Exercise: Try to go outside at least once a day, go to the gym, open a window to get fresh air, or take a minute to stretch and clear your head.Rest: Try going to bed earlier than usual, take a nap, and take deep breaths.
Ask yourself:Am I drinking enough water?Am I getting enough sleep and rest?Am I moving my body enough?
2. Meeting Your Own Social Needs
Different people have different social needs, but not interacting with other people or interacting with people too much can make you feel down, or not like yourself. Look internally and ask yourself how much interaction with other people makes you feel healthy and how much makes you feel drained or unhappy.
Ask yourself:Have you seen other people today?Have you interacted with people who make you feel good about yourself?Do your friends know what you need to feel good and have fun?Have you given yourself opportunities to try new things?
3. Creating a Healthy Work and Life Balance
You may be driven by the work you do, but remember to slow down and take time for you and what you love. It is very easy to forget about what you need when there is so much pressure to succeed. You may even feel bad for slowing down when there is so much to do. But it’s okay to feel overwhelmed! It happens to everyone, but it’s important to take conscious steps to get yourself to a place where you feel healthy and in control.
Ask yourself:Are you setting realistic goals for yourself?Are you setting and reinforcing personal boundaries?Do you have a realistic schedule of activities that makes time for work and downtime?Are you taking on work that benefits you, and makes you feel positive and successful?Are you asking for help if you need it? You don’t have to do this alone!
4. Meeting Your Own Intellectual Needs
Without new challenges, experiences, or changes in your routine, life can get pretty boring and it may be hard to motivate yourself into doing the same old thing. Make every day a little different than the last one; take a different route to class, say hi to someone new, or do your homework in the library instead of your room.
Ask yourself:Are you challenging yourself?Are you organized enough to get stuff done?Do you give yourself time to study in a kind environment?Have you gotten enough mental stimulation today?Have you gotten too much mental stimulation today?
5. Meeting Your Own Emotional Needs
Something everyone forgets to do is take the time to be kind to themselves- we are our own greatest critics. It can be easy at the end of the day to feel bad for not getting everything done, not saying what you wanted, for not looking or feeling how wanted or expected to.
Feeling confident and comfortable in your own skin is a lifelong journey. What you can do today is pat yourself on the back for what you accomplished today, and give yourself a break to be present and relaxed.
Ask yourself:Have you set reasonable emotional goals and expectations for yourself?Have you given yourself time to breathe and process everything that happened today?Have you taken time to acknowledge all of your accomplishments today?
As you go on your journey through 2016, remember your needs matter and you deserve to feel happy, healthy, and fulfilled.