“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
-Jack Kornfield
In our day-to-day lives, we often conceptualize the body and the mind as vehicles for dutiful actions across personal and professional sectors. We work to achieve results that serve independent and collective professional goals. We problem solve, navigate multiple roles, and traverse to and from various destinations as we strive towards accomplishment. Amid an unrelenting tendency to give of ourselves, we often fail to pause and check in with ourselves, missing opportunities for vital replenishment. When we become cognizant of our need for self-replenishment, we rush to address our perceived exhaustion with practices that abstractly center the body at a surface level. We may beautify the body, adorning it with our favorite clothing or treating ourselves to lush spa-like treatments, to cloak the stressors of daily living with tangible aestheticism. While intuitively centering the body is essential, it is of utmost importance that we re-conceptualize how we engage in foundational self-care.
Authentic core self-care encompasses the body and the mind; taking care of the former is an inextricable component of maintaining the latter. The body and mind are the basis for cultivating meaningful self-care practices. If the mind and body are not properly cared for, we risk engaging in insufficient self-care practices that fail to replenish the core needs that color our overall well-being.
What constitutes physical and mental health care?
Much like other forms of self-care, mental and physical self-care conceptualizations have been subsumed by commercialized practices that render meaningful, individualized plans challenging to conceive. Underneath the veneer of aesthetic practices lies far more integral health-based practices that vitalize the body and mind in long-lasting ways. Basic practices such as adequate sleep, bodily movement (e.g., exercise), hydration, stress management, and mental breaks sustain us in substantial, long-lasting ways. Though our individual preferences for meeting these needs might differ, our self-care must encompass these vital elements of our well-being. Without them, we increase the likelihood of engaging in surface-level practices, worsening the depletion we hope to remediate.
Practicing Physical Self-Care
The most neglected and necessary component of physical self-care is ensuring an adequate night’s rest. When we fail to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, forgo sleep in light of responsibilities, or sporadically acquire a sufficient night’s rest, we increase our vulnerability to poor physical health and a compromised mental state. When our bodies, the self’s core, are diminished, so, too, is our capacity to engage in pleasurable activities or perceive the extent of our exhaustion. To facilitate genuine self-care, we must begin by analyzing necessary replenishment in three core areas: sleep, nutrition, and movement. We might ask ourselves: Am I getting at least seven hours of sleep? How well rested do I feel during my day? Do I consume adequate amounts of water and engage in bodily movement unrelated to general productivity? Your responses to these questions will provide insight on where to begin with your foundational physical self-care practices.
Practicing Mental Self-Care
Just as physical wellness lies at the heart of our well-being, so does our cultivation of practices that refresh the mind. While physically restorative practices often produce psychological benefits, engaging in practices specific to mental health preservation can be beneficial. Mental self-care can encompass daily practices and intentional thought processes that allow for a momentary reprieve from the stressors of daily living. Core practices such as self-awareness, balancing personal and professional responsibilities, and mental flexibility (e.g., self-compassion and developing emotion regulation) are crucial to effective mental health care practices. It’s important to remember that mind-centered care needn’t be fanciful, but should be effective in creating opportunities for restful departures from unrelenting to-do lists. Caring for the mind balances disengagement from required activity and mindful attunement to enjoyable activities beyond these confines.
Personalizing Mental & Physical Self-Care Practices
Self-care plans allow us to exercise creativity and flexibility in our daily schedules. Start simply and intentionally, incorporating practices that fit your unique needs. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Look out for barriers to a good night’s sleep. Practices like deep work and social media engagement shortly before bed should be avoided. Journaling or reading leisurely material may be an excellent way to wind down from the daily stressors.
Conceptualize the body as a primary “home” necessitating upkeep, rather than solely a medium for productivity. As much as possible, hydrate your body and engage in forms of movement you find pleasurable, such as dancing, yoga, or other preferred forms of exercise. The body must be cared for before it can be utilized to care for and do for others.
Prioritize self-reflection & intentional mental escapism whenever possible. Even the mind requires a cessation in movement. Pay close attention to signs of mental depletion and respond to them with practices that invoke clarity and restoration. Taking breaks from extended work sessions, exercising self-compassion, and maintaining a work-life balance are preliminary steps to building mental self-care practices.
It’s imperative that we care for ourselves with the same intensity and nuance with which we care for others. By caring for the body, we create a framework upon which more complex strategies addressing additional facets of self-care can flourish. Physical and mental health lie at the core of who we are and what we can do; it is crucial that self-care practices align with this reality.
Additional Resources
Real Self-Care, Pooja Lakshmin
The Sleep Solution, W. Chris Winter
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder In An Anxious Age