The 7 Pillars of Self-Care
Happy Saturday!
I hope this past Thanksgiving holiday was relaxing and enjoyable for everybody, as well as a joyous introduction to the holiday season upon us!
During this break, self-care is so important. Checking in with yourself and listening to what you need is really crucial for our overall health. Self-care can look like a plethora of things, and actually fits into seven “pillars” or categories. Each one of these pillars are important to our being and our overall mental health. These seven pillars encapsulate the following:
Emotional
Mental
Physical
Spiritual
Environmental
Social
Recreational
Below, I’ll further discuss each pillar, as well as ways you can honor and care for each pillar. All together, practicing care in each of these categories can overall increase your mental health, mood, and mindset!
Emotional Pillar
When we are talking about caring for our emotional pillar, it is in terms of caring for our heart/mind connection. Through acts of self-compassion, we can honor our emotional pillar and take it easier, especially in moments where we have been being hard on ourselves. This in turn will also allow for our responses in certain situations to be more grounded and healthy.
Ways to nurture our Emotional Pillar:
Practice setting boundaries to protect your peace, time, & energy
Do not be afraid to ask others for help when you need it
Write down and practice positive affirmations daily
Mental Pillar
Our mental pillar may just be one of the most important of the pillars. This is because our mental pillar includes the foundation for a healthy and balanced mindset, as well as our capacity for growth. When we nurture our mental pillar, we can partake in stress-reducing activities, enhance our blooming creativity, and continue to further our skills and grow our knowledge.
Ways to nurture our Mental Pillar:
Meditate
Engage your brain in a brand new way
Write in your journal
Take a break from all technology, including your phone, laptop, and social media
Physical Pillar
In honoring our physical pillar, we our honoring and caring for our physical well-being. Taking care of yourself in a physical sense can have a plethora of benefits including an increase in self-esteem, a boost in the brain’s happy chemicals, and more energy. Nourishing our bodies with nutritious foods, engaging in daily exercise, getting a healthy eight hours of sleep a night, and practicing good hygiene can go a long way in nurturing our physical pillar.
Ways to nurture our Physical Pillar:
Get the right amount of sleep that you need
Try a new workout class that works for your body
Drink more water throughout your day
Eating healthy meals regularly
Spiritual Pillar
When we are talking about our spiritual pillar, caring for it can look like many different things. Yet, the common denominator between all forms of spiritual self-care is its ability to provide us with a sense of direction and purpose in our lives. In turn, this can allow us to understand or comprehend difficult things, as well as provide our lives with more meaning in more grounded way.
Ways to nurture our Spiritual Pillar:
Try connecting to a higher power
Spend quality time in nature
Identify & reflect on your own values and what is meaningful to you and your well-being
Environmental Pillar
Our environmental pillar can often be overlooked, but it is such an important one. Our environmental pillar refers to caring for our own space, the space that we live and work in daily. The state of the space we function in can have a major impact on our well-being and mental health, so it is very important to nurture this pillar. With a strong environmental pillar, we will find ourselves in a more relaxed state, which will in turn allow us to thrive and be more productive.
Ways to nurture our Environmental Pillar:
Take a nice walk outside
Organize and declutter your living and working space
Re-organize your living and working space to a layout that is more suitable for yourself
Social Pillar
Similar to our mental pillar, our social pillar is one of the most important of the pillars. This is because our social pillar is made up of our relationships and connections to others. Having a strong form of connectedness is crucial for allowing us to feel accepted and provides us with a healthy sense of belonging. Connecting with friends and family, as well as caring for and nurturing healthy relationships can have a great positive influence on our well-being and mental health.
Ways to nurture our Social Pillar:
Call and check in on your friends & family, especially if they aren’t close by
Spend quality time with loved ones
Join & participate in a support group
Join & participate in a community that has importance to you or you find meaningful
Recreational Pillar
In nurturing our recreational pillar, we participate in our favorite hobbies and activities, as well as engage in experiencing new things. Honoring and caring for our recreational pillar can provide us with a little escape from the difficulties we face in everyday life, as well as teach us the importance of having gratitude for the little things in life.
Ways to nurture our Recreational Pillar:
Find a new hobby to try
Make a change to your daily routine
Take the time to participate in your favorite activities & practice your creativity
Take an adventure with either your closest friends or just yourself
All of these pillars are so important for our well-being and mental health. In honoring each pillar, it provides us with overall clarity, a more grounded mindset, and gives our brain a little rest. Each pillar works in conjunction with one another to increase our concentration & memory, boost the happy chemicals in our brain, strengthen our immune system & metabolism, reduce stress, improve our moods, and transform our mindsets. Try honoring each of your seven pillars throughout each week and take notice of the difference your feel in your mind and well-being!
