“Self-care is the practice of individuals looking after their own health” (Global Self-Care Federation).

In the literature, authors found that different types of self-care exist. There are many dimensions of Self-care! Here are a few types : physical, emotional, social, spiritual, personal and home environment (Willowstone Family Services, 2022). As we know, the first step for developing a self-care practice is to develop self-awareness of our needs.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself to target the different types of self-care :

Physical : What does my body need? It can be as simple as sleep, stretch, walk, breathe, be in warm water, or be rolled up in a soft blanket.

Emotional : What do I need emotionally? It can be to experience more joy, to laugh, to express yourself or to self-soothe.

Social : What kind of social interactions do I need? It can be in a group, one on one, by phone, in person. It can also be to work on having better boundaries in your relationships.

Spiritual : What are my beliefs and what can I do to embody them? It can be practicing meditation or going to nature.

Personal : Which hobby can I do or which interest can I develop? Practicing a hobby without the pressure of being good can be a very good way to take care of yourself.

If after this exercise you realize that one or more of these types are missing in your self-care practice, why not try something new in this or those areas? This could help to create a more balanced life! See it as an experiment you are doing to know more about yourself.