Most of building robust mental health is in our hands 🙌

Question

Self-care gets a bad rap sometimes because it can feel indulgent and can also be a way of even avoiding things. If something feels uncomfortable even in the slightest way, this can be a reason to not do it.

Proactive self-care is different and here are six categories with different things you can do which will help you find peace and positivity.

Spiritual – maybe you meditate, do yoga or pray.  Any one of these feeds into and supports the spiritual side of ourselves. But also consider affirmations, walking barefoot in nature, wild swimming – it’s about somehow finding a way to reconnect with yourself/universe or a grounding object.

Physical – anything movement related. This might be the gym or workouts but can also be simple stretches, putting some great music on and dancing, walking in nature, running or kickboxing.

Intellectual – stimulate your mind by reading, doing a course, going to a seminar or learning event. Find likeminded individuals who think like you, who you can connect with.

Creativity – try journaling, songs, poetry, writing music but also why not get creative with what you wear, your window box, your screen saver or desktop. Creativity is about expressing who we are and can take many different forms.

Emotional – build self-awareness and one-to-one conversations. Be able to sit with emotions and notice them rather than shy away from them. Emotions fluctuate and change all day long but quite often if an emotion feels uncomfortable, we find ways to distract ourselves.

Social – connect with others, get to know people, make a difference by giving to others, supporting them and showing kindness. Laugh.

We need to take time for ourselves.  We need to prioritise and normalise self-care. It is not selfish to fill your bucket first because if you don’t, you will soon have nothing left to give to others. If you’re ready to “spice” up your self care and get better results in all areas of your life, build your plans on these six areas when it’s time to focus on personal renewal.

- 7 Skills For the Future Team