04/12/2023

Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: The Importance of Self-Care For Mental Health

by Jerry Kosmin

It’s a common misconception that self-care is more of a luxury than it is a necessity. However, self-care is for everyone, and it should be a priority every day of the year.

Continue reading our blog to discover the importance of self-care for mental health and how you can make it a priority in your life.

What Is True Self-Care?

There are a few things you need to know before you can understand the importance of self-care for mental health. Self-care can be defined in many ways.

At its core, true self-care is the conscious practice of improving your self-awareness, control, and reliance in order to achieve and maintain optimal health and well-being.

4 Types of Self-Care

In order to take care of yourself properly, you need to assess the different forms these practices can take. Below, we’ve listed the 4 primary types of self-care.

1. Physical Self-Care

Taking care of your body is important if you want it to run efficiently. Our bodies and minds are connected, which means that when we feel physically healthy, we’ll often feel emotionally and mentally healthy as well.

Physical self-care pertains to all of your body’s physical needs, such as eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and staying active. This also includes taking responsibility for your physical health like staying up-to-date on healthcare appointments, taking medication as it is prescribed, and more.

2. Social Self-Care

Believe it or not, having a healthy social life is also an important aspect of overall well-being. Social self-care is easy to neglect, especially if you and your friends have busy schedules. However, making time to maintain and build close connections with others will have a large impact on how you feel toward yourself.

Everyone has different social needs. The key to practicing social self-care is to determine what yours are and ensure you’re taking time out of your day to devote yourself to these. This may be spending face-to-face time with friends or calling to check in on family members.

3. Mental Self-Care

Your mind greatly influences your overall well-being. The way you think, and the thoughts you put into your mind can have positive and negative effects on you psychologically. Mental self-care revolves around keeping your mind healthy.

This means practicing self-love, compassion, and acceptance. Oftentimes, we are the most judgemental toward ourselves, and while we may not realize it at the time, those thoughts can hurt us in the long run.

Practicing mental self-care also requires you to keep your mind active and stimulated. Reading books, doing puzzles, and learning about things that interest you will work to fuel your mind.

4. Emotional Self-Care

Everyone experiences uncomfortable emotions from time to time. Emotional self-care gives you the tools you need to cope with these emotions the right way.

Acknowledging and expressing feelings like anger, anxiety, and sadness is an important step in developing a healthy mindset. In the future, this will help you when you face difficult situations or experience negative emotions.

Practicing emotional self-care could be talking to a loved one about how you feel, going to therapy, or taking part in activities that help you process your emotions.

Incorporating mindfulness activities into your daily routine can help you become self-aware in the present moment. Some of these activities could include:

Deep breathing
Meditation
Guided imagery
Yoga
Tai Chi
Progressive muscle relaxation

Spending time in nature has also been known to create more positive feelings, better your mental health, and even lower levels of depression and stress. The key is to address your emotions regularly in a safe and accepting environment.

Young adult man talking to his therapist.

Benefits of Self-Care

If you’re a young adult in today’s world, there is an immense amount of pressure to be productive and strive for success.

Unfortunately, this mindset often leaves you feeling overwhelmed and overworked. Setting goals and working towards personal achievements is not a bad thing. However, when you forget to take care of yourself in the process, you can end up doing more harm than good.

There are many benefits of self-care, both physical and mental, which give you the tools you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the midst of everyday stressors.

Reduces Anxiety, Depression, & Stress. Many self-care practices are aimed at reducing stress and combating negative thoughts or emotions. By giving your mind and body a break, you allow yourself the time you need to recharge and calm your system.
Improves Resiliency & Worthiness. Self-care gives you time to focus on yourself, reminding you of your importance in life. When you learn how to center yourself, you become less susceptible to the negative effects of stress and are able to bounce back from life’s obstacles.
Enhances sleep quality & energy. Quality sleep is crucial to your mental and physical well-being, but if your mind and body are on high alert you won’t be able to get the rest you need. Practicing self-care allows you to relax, unwind, and store more energy for the future.
Improves focus & productivity. When you feel overwhelmed or stressed, it’s hard to stay focused and productive. Giving yourself a break allows you to disperse your energy strategically, and prevent you from burning out. Self-care offers a clear mind for important tasks.
Boosts immune system. Stress and other negative emotions are not only hard on your mind, but they can hurt your body as well. Staying physically active and giving your body the rest it needs will strengthen your immune system and work to prevent certain health issues that may surface in the future.
Strengthens interpersonal relationships. Your happiness often affects the people around you. When you work on yourself and practice self-care, you’re more likely to have healthy and strong relationships with friends, family, and other individuals.

A key piece of understanding the importance of self-care for mental health is seeing how it can benefit you and your well-being. After seeing the positive effects it can have, you can begin to learn how to make self-care a priority.

Group of young adults participating in yoga.

Creating a Self-Care Routine for Mental Health

There are many ways you can develop a self-care routine for mental health and well-being. If you’re not sure where to start, consider following these steps to begin creating a realistic and proactive plan.

Determine Your Wants & Needs

Everyone has different wants and needs, which means your self-care plan will vary depending on what your mind and body require to relax. Reflect on your day-to-day life and ask yourself a few basic questions:

What are your main stressors?
What parts of your day do you value most?
What types of coping mechanisms do you currently use?
What do you feel you’re missing in your physical/mental/emotional/social life?

Understanding yourself is the foundation of adopting a successful self-care plan. As you answer these questions, remember to be honest with yourself.

Find What Makes You Feel Centered

Once you’re able to pinpoint what your needs are, it’s easier to figure out how to meet them. Your self-care plan is meant to help you, not burden you. Think about what brings you joy or inner peace. You can do this by asking yourself the following:

What activities or things make you feel relaxed?
What makes you feel more energized and inspired?
What makes you feel fulfilled?
How do you cheer yourself up when you’re feeling down?

This list can include anything from favorite songs to spending time with friends and family. Remember, when you’re making this list you don’t want to focus on activities that are centered around using substances or taking part in unhealthy habits.

Make a Plan

When making your self-care plan, it’s important that you don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s okay to start slower by incorporating a few practices into your routine because you can always add more later.

Try setting small goals for yourself like going on a walk every day at lunch, or writing in your journal before going to bed. These little things can go a long way in helping you care for yourself and they won’t make you feel overwhelmed.

Young adult woman writing in her journal.

Finally, continue to remind yourself of the importance of self-care for mental health. Taking time for yourself is not selfish, it’s a necessity. Practicing self-care will lead you to live a happier and healthier life.

At Malvern Behavioral Health, self-care is regularly discussed with our patients, and mindfulness activities are practiced on a daily basis as a part of our treatment program.