In the previous blog post, I talked about 3 different forms of self-care. My goal was to begin a dialogue on popular types of self-care, but also other types that we tend to let sit on the back burner. If you did not see the first blog please feel free to go back and take a look however, I will give a recap of what it centered on.
Self- Care is defined as a needed human regulatory function. It is something that we as humans do to create what I would call mental health homeostasis. However, when most people hear self-care they feel that it may only include taking bubble baths or doing mediation which it is that but there are many different types and forms of self-care that go outside of just us. In the last blog, we focused on physical, spiritual, and intellectual self-care. This time I will highlight three more that we can all work on.
Emotional Self-Care focuses on expressing emotions through different activities. In our society, this is commonly done through some type of an art form, but really can be done in any way that allows you to express your emotions as a release of feelings.
Social Self-Care is another type of self-care this was is practiced a lot more, but people may not view it as a form of self-care especially y if they are in any type of toxic relationships, this is why it is important to know that your time is a gift and you should only share it with those who deserve it. Social self-care is centered around spending time with others especially those with who you find comfort and calm, as stated before a toxic family member or friend does not count as they may be doing more harm than good to you. Though social self-care might be harder to obtain due to the pandemic it is important that you try to make time either through zoom or playing some type of virtual game.
Lastly, we have Sensory Self-Care. This type of self-care is all about your senses. Use your senses to bring yourself out of the past or future and to refocus on the present. Being aware of your surroundings and focusing on what is directly in front of you can allow for a mental release. It in its own way is also a type of mindfulness.