What is self-care in your own words?
Self-care is the practice of individuals looking after their own health using the knowledge and information available to them. It is a decision-making process that empowers individuals to look after their own health efficiently and conveniently, in collaboration with health and social care professionals as needed.
Self-care is especially hard for those who grew up in dysfunctional families and/or developed codependent traits. Codependents struggle with self-care because they tend to focus on other people's feelings, needs, and problems, and take care of others, often at their own expense.
Examples of self-abandonment:
Not trusting your instincts – second-guessing yourself, overthinking and ruminating, letting others make decisions for you and assuming they know more than you do. People-pleasing seeking validation from others, suppressing your needs and interests in order to please others.
Our Negativity Bias
Growing up with not enough acceptance and too much shame, we may cling to our shortcomings, past failures, and poor decisions. We minimize the good things about ourselves and our positive qualities. Scientists tell us that our brain has a negativity bias.
Self-abandonment happens when you neglect your own needs, wants, feelings, and values. You may prioritize other people and their problems at the expense of your own. Or you may just feel like your stuff doesn't really matter.
Physical Self-Care Examples:
Engage in exercise. Go for a walk. Drink water. Practice good sleep hygiene (click here for more information)
Namely, there are 8 main areas of self-care: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial.
Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more.
Why is it important? Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transmit the good feelings to others. You cannot give to others what you don't have yourself. While some may misconstrue self-care as selfish, it's far from that.
Below are several examples of how you can nurture yourself and make self-renewal a part of your everyday life in the four areas of self-care: physical, emotional, spiritual and mental.
Why do I feel like I don't care enough?
Feeling as if you don't care about anything anymore may be related to anhedonia or apathy. Anhedonia is a mental state in which people have an inability to feel pleasure. It is often a symptom of mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, and substance use.
Self-care is especially hard for those who grew up in dysfunctional families and/or developed codependent traits. Codependents struggle with self-care because they tend to focus on other people's feelings, needs, and problems, and take care of others, often at their own expense.
Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more.
Consequences of Not Practicing Self-Care
Less patience. Increased headaches, stomachaches and other physical symptoms of stress. Difficulty falling and staying asleep. Binge eating or increase in unhealthy eating habits.
You could be overgiving to everyone else — to your work, family, friends, community — and sacrificing your needs. Overworking, burnout and overwhelm are all signs of a lack of self-love. Self-love is the foundation of a person's happiness, health, relationships, career — everything.
You beat yourself up for past failings. You think you have no gifts or talents or you play them down. You're self-critical, only seeing your flaws and feeling unworthy. You lack self-confidence, so you never try anything that feels risky.
Our Negativity Bias
Growing up with not enough acceptance and too much shame, we may cling to our shortcomings, past failures, and poor decisions. We minimize the good things about ourselves and our positive qualities. Scientists tell us that our brain has a negativity bias.