Practicing self-care can better prepare you for dealing with a crisis and the difficulty of helping someone with a mental health or substance use problem. Participating in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, increase happiness, and more. Practicing self-awareness can help you recognize patterns in your emotions, including situations that may cause your symptoms to worsen. It can also help identify what activities or tasks are necessary for your well-being, alleviate the negative symptoms of mental illness or stress, or simply provide pleasure or relaxation.
Self-care is based on greater self-awareness, which can benefit people living with mental illness. Practicing self-awareness can help you recognize patterns in your emotions, including events or situations that may cause symptoms to worsen. It can also help you recognize what activities or tasks are necessary for your well-being, alleviate the negative symptoms of mental illness or stress, or simply provide you with pleasure or relaxation. Specific forms of self-care have also been linked to different health and well-being benefits, including a longer life.
The term “personal care” has been trending in recent years, and we've seen hundreds of products, services, health and fitness experts, and other things that promote personal care. Many people find it difficult to take care of themselves when they need it most, due to fatigue, feelings of hopelessness or guilt about enjoying something pleasant, pain, limited mobility, and other factors. But, as Bonnie adds, once you get into the habit of scheduling time to practice self-care techniques, it gets easier. Your personal self-care style will depend on what works best for you, what you enjoy, and your energy levels, personality, and other factors.
While self-care can help people with mental or chronic illnesses, it's also been found that many people don't take proper care of themselves when symptoms worsen. Self-care techniques and general lifestyle changes can help control the symptoms of many mental health problems. It's important to understand that practicing self-care means taking care of your mental health as well as your physical health. Whether you're talking to your partner or a close friend about how you're feeling, or if you're spending time in leisure activities that help you process your emotions, it's important to incorporate emotional self-care into your life.
By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional well-being. Physical self-care includes how you feed your body, how much you sleep, how much physical activity you do, and how well you take care of your physical needs. A great way to feel emotionally strong and resilient during times of stress is to feel connected to a wider community.
