Life Practices – Self-Care

Self-care is the mindful practice of engaging in activities, recreations, and pursuits that serve to sustain one’s health and balance; they also tend to bring one pleasure, promote self-reliance, and/or maintain mental & physical well being. 

Self-care is a “mindful practice” insofar as one learns to consciously attend to the fulfillment of one’s various needs – as opposed to the everyday “automatic” reliance on the habits and routines we develop and use to organize and manage our daily lives.  How one goes about self-care is obviously individualized but also age/stage (of life) dependent.  And so what  your overall practice entails will likely change over time as you grow, mature, and discover those activities and pursuits that work for you.

The following are specific elements of self-care that list some benefits, and maybe provide incentives, for thus engaging. Also worth noting is that these practices, taken together in some balanced regimen, will have the greatest impact on enabling your “best self” and thus mitigating dysfunctional anxiety, stress, and depressive mood…

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Physical Maintenance – taking care of one’s body, attending to appropriate hygiene practices, and engaging in regular kinds of exercise will:

• Reduce tension and lower stress
• Discharge pent-up frustration
• Enhance oxygenation (ie, be more alert, and experience better concentration)
• Lower pH (and thus increase energy levels)
• Improve digestion and utilization of food (may also support weight loss)
• Improve elimination (from skin, lungs, and bowels)
• Decrease blood pressure & cholesterol levels

Dietary Balance – learning and following a healthy dietary regimen will:

• Boost immunity, combat disease, control weight
• Improve mood & increase mental energy
• Provide protection from cancers
• Reduce risks of heart disease, obesity, dementia, type-2 diabetes, etc
• Increase longevity (i.e., live longer)

Sleep Regimen – get enough (but not too much) “Riderless” rest to:

• Improve memory
• Lower stress & improve concentration
• Achieve better accident avoidance
• Increase willpower
• Improve self-regulation(!)

Sitting Quietly – in taking a little time out on a regular basis – and to connect (or re-connect) to the essential, genuine you – you will:

• Develop self-knowledge and facilitate personal discovery (what can be a real “Wow!)
• Promote balance, lower stress, decrease anxiety
• Develop psychological flexibility (be more open, curious, and flexible)
• Better manage difficult thoughts and feelings (that are a natural part of living)
• Become less vulnerable and more resilient

Play & Diversion – discovering, trying, and engaging in non-work, non-custodial, and pro-social activities that challenge and reward will:

• Develop self-efficacy, and increase self-esteem
• Serve as a mood stabilizer (reduce anxiety, lower stress, and avoid depression)
• Improve personal creativity & feed imagination
• Increase problem-solving skills
• Develop memory & promote brain growth(!)
• Realize happiness and facilitate well-being