5 Areas of Therapeutic Self-Care to Heal from Physical & Mental Exhaustion
Healing yourself is connected with healing others.
Physical and mental exhaustion are common due to various reasons. They can be the aftereffects of nutrient deficiencies, poor quality of sleep, chronic stress, too much caffeine intake, or a feeling of isolation. But whatever the reason is, it’s important to prevent them to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself and with those people around you.
Therapy is one of the best ways. However, most people avoid it because they fear being judged or misinterpreted. While others are too prideful to do it, and some are too budget-conscious.
Even so, that doesn’t mean there is no other way. Another effective measure you can try is self-care therapy. It’s an approach that includes lifestyle and behavioral changes to rediscover your lost self, replenish your energy & drive, and help you become a better person. After all, you know yourself better than anyone, and only you can save YOU.
In terms of therapeutic self-care, there are five areas that you need to focus on:
(Followed by lists of habits that can support your healing journey)
1. PHYSICAL SELF CARE
Physical self-care is about taking care of your physical body. This includes how much sleep you’re allowing your body to have, how much physical activity you’re getting into, what diet you’re having, and how often you visit your dentist & doctor.
In short, managing your overall health is all part of proper physical self-care.
What you need to do:
- Start eating right to stay healthy
- Always eat a healthy breakfast
- Fuel yourself with nutritious meals daily
- Stay active and exercise
- Always stay hydrated
- Take supplements
2. LIFESTYLE CARE
Lifestyle care is a way of living that lowers your risk of developing illnesses or a shorter lifespan due to poor habits.
A proper lifestyle not only focuses on the absence of sickness but also on the state of complete mental, physical, and social well-being.
What you need to do:
- Start ditching the bad habits
- Set realistic goals and stick to them
- Spend more time in nature
- Master the art of work-life balance to become more fulfilled on your family & career
- Create an extraordinary lifestyle that you can enjoy
- Embrace the beauty of simple living
3. SPIRITUAL SELF CARE
Spiritual self-care involves a set of activities that nurture your spirit so you can learn how to love yourself more and to think bigger than yourself.
Spiritual self care doesn’t always have to be religious, so don’t be too pressured if you’re not a religious type of person. But for some people, they prefer it that way. Stick to whichever will work best for your spiritual healing.
What you need to do:
- Meditate (you can learn from the top meditation gurus recommended in this blog)
- Join in a spiritual community
- Practice gratitude daily
- Find your purpose in life
- Practice kindness and forgiveness
- Commit some time for self-reflection
4. INNER CIRCLE CARE
Inner circle care is about surrounding yourself with carefully selected group of individuals that will help you grow as a better person and feel supported. This circle of trust usually includes people you believe in, admire, respect, and share common interests or goals with.
Establishing a healthy inner circle helps reach more people to become a better person, or invites an individual who’s also in need of therapeutic self-care.
Your inner circle should involve people who will help or guide you through your tough days, maintain your social life, support you each time you venture out something new, and assist you with your decisions.
Who you need to be with:
- Family
- Friends
- Support group
- Mentor/coach
- Psychiatrist/therapist
The kind of people you need to be with and why:
- Optimists that will encourage you through difficult times and motivate you to strive harder.
- Honest people that will help you see your blind spots and not sugarcoat your mistakes. These individuals always provide an authentic, honest feedback that will lead you in the right direction.
- Good listeners that will genuinely listen and try their best to understand your struggles, your dreams, your joy, and your pain. These people will make you feel safe and not alone. In short, someone to trust with a shoulder to cry on.
5. MENTAL/EMOTIONAL SELF CARE
Mental self care encompasses your physiological, emotional, behavioral, and social well-being in general. Taking care of your mental health helps you have better perception, mood, and cognition.
A sound mental health allows you to have good decision-making skills, to handle stress more effectively, and to build nourishing interpersonal relationships.
While emotional self-care is handling your emotions accordingly to prevent you with impulsive decisions and unnecessary behaviors. Emotional care is also one aspect of mental care.
What you need to do:
- Practice emotional self-care
- Learn how to beat emotional burnout
- Always be kinder to yourself (practice positive self-talk)
- Naturally boost your energy and brain power
- Always look after your mental health
- Begin each day with a positive mindset
- Prevent yourself from emotional eating
More fun and helpful self-care therapies to try:
- Have a mood journal to track your day-to-day emotions, struggles, and achievements, and write down how you react to each one of them
- Have a library of positive memories (in your phone, computer, or even a photo album) so you will always have something to look at when days are rough
- Develop new skills or hobbies
- Dance or sing your heart out
- Read poetry
- Have regular massage or visits to a wellness spa
- Have vacations (as many as you like)
- Involve yourself in a 30-day challenge to improve and protect your mental health
- Try easy ways to cope up with stress in less than 15 minutes
Takeaways
Healing is an art. It takes time, it takes practice, and it takes love.
The soul always knows how to heal itself. You just have to allow it by starting to love yourself more. Because healing comes when you choose to walk away from darkness, in order to move towards a brighter light. And no matter what happens, always protect your inner peace.
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