“Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball
Self-care is a basic human need. However, this concept is often misunderstood and the confusion can cause a barrier to implementing it. Here are a few definitions, all of which shed a different light on its meaning:
Self-care in health refers to the activities individuals, families and communities undertake with the intention of enhancing health, preventing disease, limiting illness, and restoring health.
Self-care refers to actions and attitudes which contribute to the maintenance of well-being and personal health and promote human development.
Self–care is the act of intentionally and unintentionally engaging in thoughts and actions that have positive and affirming impacts on our mind, body and spirit.
Self-care means taking the time to nurture, comfort and support yourself.
What Self-Care Isn’t
- Selfish
- ‘High-maintenance’
- Shameful
- ‘Needy’
- Guilt-inducing
- Extreme
- Unreasonable
What Self-Care Is
- Compassionate
- Loving
- ‘Being-ness’
- Kind
- Positive
- Soulful
- Soothing
- Essential
It’s easy to focus on the physical aspects of self-care as they make up our daily routines, and while they are important, there are other equally important components to self-care as well. Rate yourself on your self-care using the Self-Care Checklist from Queen’s University.
Are there areas of self-care you are neglecting? What can you improve upon? What will enhancing your self-care routines mean for the level of health you want to achieve? For the life you want to be living?
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