It is a busy life indeed! And as we go through the circle of life, self care takes a backseat. Sometimes, it is not even in the picture.
And why does self care matter? There will always be something going on in our lives – another deadline, a new responsibility or some errand to take care of burning us out. This is why taking out time for yourself is necessary which is where a self care plan comes in handy.
Why?
It helps us pay timely attention to our physical, mental and emotional well-being. How? Let’s know a little bit more about it!
What Is A Self Care Plan?
A self-care plan is essentially a tool that consists of different activities that one can do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis for betterment of their overall well-being.
It is more than just pampering oneself or going to a spa every week, self-care is about holistic wellness of mind, body and spirit. With this kind of a tool in place, you lead a more meaningful, happier and stress-free life (provided you follow it religiously! )
Why A Self Care Plan?
Self care, if put into practice can do wonders not just to your overall health, but to your quality of life, as well. And it is not just me saying it, this is backed by years of research on how a proper self care routine can support your wellness journey and make you lead a more meaningful life.
When there is a self care plan in place, it makes you mindfully and intentionally do activities that instantly put you in a good mood, lowering your stress levels. Many studies have proved time and again that even doing one smallest thing that makes you feel happy can make a positive shift to your mental state.
This plan essentially puts taking care of yourself in your daily routine pushing you to do things and take on activities that support your overall well-being.
Apart from this, there are several reasons for having your very own self care plan.
- Lower Stress & Anxiety Levels – Practicing self care activates our parasympathetic nervous system which makes us calm and relaxed, mentally as well as physically. Doing things such as yoga, deep breathing or visualization can counter your stress levels to a significant extent.
- Improved Mental Health- When you spend time outdoors or do exercise as a part of your self care, it makes you more energetic & resilient, enhances your mental fitness and your emotional exhaustion levels take a significant dip.
- Better Productivity – It is undoubtedly a fact that when you devote time to your mental, physical and emotional health, your cognitive abilities improve. You become more focused and thus more productive be it at work or at home.
- Happier Relationships – I have emphasized it time and again that self love is not selfish. In fact, when you are happy from within, you are able to do a much better job when handling all your other relationships. You become a better partner, better colleague and a better support for your parents.
What Should You Include In A Self Care Plan?
When it comes to self care, it does not fit in just one particular box. There are many aspects that you need to take care of when you make a routine around it. That’s where different types of self care come into the picture.
Physical
Physical self care is all about taking care of your health. There should be one activity in your self care plan that helps you stay fit. It could be :
- Regular Exercise
- Walks
- Play a sport that you love
- Timely checkups
- Healthy eating
- No smoking
- Sleeping well
Your self care plan should have at least one such healthy habit that builds your physical well-being.
Mental & Emotional
Mental and emotional self care is all about training your mind, taking control of your thoughts and emotions and bringing in some positivity.
This kind of self care is so crucial as the majority of our stress and anxiousness is due to what goes on in our mind. And we can do that by :
- Journaling
- Practicing daily gratitude
- Learning something new
- Positive self talk
- Digital detox
- Meditation
If we take care of our emotions, we automatically improve our ability to deal with every twist that life throws at us without taking on too much stress.
Social
We all crave for relationships that nurture us, meaningful connections and strong bonds. Having happier relationships contribute significantly to our mental well-being. Social self care means having those around you with whom you feel happy, safe and fulfilled. And how can we do that?
- Spending more time with family and friends
- Joining a community that shares your similar interests
- Set healthy boundaries and learn to say no
- Emotionally detach yourself from draining relationships
- Travel or explore new activities
When you give importance to social self care, you prioritize your sense of belonging along with strengthening your relationships with people who actually matter.
Professional
Self care, when simply put, is all about taking care of all aspects of life. And one of the most crucial parameters which affects your happiness and wellness level is professional satisfaction. We need to make sure that we are accomplishing our professional goals along with maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
- Set goals
- Learn something new
- Improve your skill set
- Take day offs for travel or doing things you love
- Ditch toxic work culture and become a part of an organization that prioritizes their employees.
How To Create Your Self Care Plan– A 5–Step Guide
A self care plan is a tool that cannot be the same for everyone as every individual has different needs and different definitions for wellness. This step by step guide will help you create a personalized self care plan that works for you.
Step 1- Enlist Your Habits
The first step is to know yourself and your habits clearly. Write them down. When you write your daily habits, you know where you are going wrong and what you are doing right.
Before you build your self care plan, it is important to have a clear picture of what you do when life gets difficult to deal with. Is it endless scrolling on the phone? Is it overthinking?
Come to terms with your coping mechanism, and then you will be able to do away with patterns that are unhealthy or not working for you.
Step 2- Recognize Your Self Care Needs
What makes you happy? Does something give you a sense of satisfaction? What do you value? You need to figure that out, and not just in one aspect but in every aspect of life. An ideal self care plan is one that takes care of your personal, emotional, professional and social needs. Putting together your needs on a paper can give you the clarity as to which area you need to work upon.
Step 3– Identify Practices Supporting Your Needs
The next step is to determine what actions you must take. Put together the activities you would do or the hobbies you would pursue that would help you accomplish your self care needs. How can you identify them? Ask yourself :
- Doing what gives me the utmost joy?
- Which activity/hobby energizes me?
- What gives me mental peace?
- How can I feel more fulfilled?
- What can help me cope with stress or anxiety?
These questions will help you make an effective self care plan that would actually work for your benefit. Apart from that, you need to also divide your activities into daily, weekly or monthly. For example certain activities like exercise or meditation should be on your daily list, catching up with friends can be a weekly thing or learning something new can be a part of your monthly plan.
Step 4 – Make A Schedule
Now, once the plan is in place, the next obvious step is to fit it into your daily routine. This is the most crucial part, as this is where the majority of us fail because due to the daily responsibilities, we feel that taking out time for ourselves is just selfish. Self care is not selfish, period. In fact it is the driving force for nurturing every other aspect of one’s life.
If we can make this plan an integral part of our daily routine, it is half the battle won. So, how do we do that?
- Start small – Start dedicating 5-15 minutes to every part of your plan instead of devoting hours in one go. Also, choose a habit that is the most convenient for you to do for starters.
- Habit Stacking – That is another most effective way to stick to your plan. Habit stacking is essentially stacking one habit after one such habit that you do daily. For example, after I have my dinner, I will go for a walk. Simple!
- Start with what’s important- Start your plan with activities that you feel you need the most. It can change over time, of course as our needs and priorities change.
Step 5– Follow & Commit
The last step is to get going and follow it with as much consistency and dedication as possible. Choose activities that you connect with, that make you joyful, peaceful and content and then make them a part of your routine with a dedicated intent and mindfulness.
Final Thoughts
Your self care plan should be a tool that resonates with who you are and where you want to be in every aspect- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and professionally. Take care of yourself in such a way that it gives meaning to your life and enhances your overall well-being.