The Ultimate Guide to the 7 Types of Self-Care

“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” Unknown

What is self-care?

The word self-care has been thrown around way too often, commercialized for profit, and turned into a competition to see who has the best “self-care routine,” such as waking up super early, working out at an expensive gym, going to a fancy brunch, and spending the rest of the day at a lavish spa. It’s gotten to the point where it makes many people cringe and roll their eyes because for most of us, that version of “self-care” is out of reach or something we aren’t even interested in. 

The good news is, true self-care is much more accessible. It is simply about taking the time to tune into what we need and providing those things for ourselves. We get to decide what self-care looks like for us.

Just like there are various dimensions to our lives, there are several dimensions to self-care. The 7 main types of self-care are: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, environmental, and professional. However, these categories aren’t completely distinct. There are many self-care activities that can fall into multiple categories and can meet your needs in different areas of well-being. My favorite example is yoga, which can meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, especially if it’s a more restorative practice.

It’s important to know that self-care is a unique and personal journey. What works for one person may not work for another. It’s essential to listen to your body, mind, and heart to discover what truly nourishes your soul. Be patient and give yourself the space to explore and adapt your self-care routine as needed.

Physical Self-Care

Physical self-care is essential to keeping our bodies healthy and happy. This is probably the first type that most people think of, and could include things like getting a massage or pedicure on occasion. Nevertheless, taking care of our physical needs is not all about appearance or luxuries. It directly impacts our energy levels, immune system, and overall quality of life. The basics of physical self-care activities mostly fall into the categories of exercise, nutrition, and sleep. 

Examples of Physical Self-Care Practices

• Eating a healthy meal
• Exercise
• Taking a shower and other hygienic practices
• Drink enough water
• Get enough quality sleep
• Health, dental, and vision checkups at the doctor
• Taking your medications as prescribed
• Taking vitamins or supplements, under the advisement of your doctor
• Get some sunlight
• Go to the chiropractor to take care of back pain
• Dance
• Go for a walk
• Deep breathing practices

Some of these may seem obvious and silly, but if you are neurodivergent that may not always be true. As someone with ADHD, there are plenty of days I get working on a project and completely forget to eat lunch until my stomach starts growling around 4 pm. Also, as someone who has dealt with depressive episodes, I know sometimes it can be difficult to get yourself to do basic self-care tasks such as showering, even though you know it will make you feel a bit better.

The more we improve our physical self-care practices, the more energy and resilience we will have to tackle life’s challenges. Yet when we forget to care for our physical health, our energy levels greatly decrease and the more difficult it feels to practice physical self-care. If you get stuck in this cycle due to chronic health issues, I recommend getting a health professional involved to help break the pattern and get back to a state of wellness.

Emotional Self-Care

Emotional self-care is important for managing stress and promoting mental health. Society tells us to suppress our emotions and just do what needs to be done, for work and for our families. But those emotions don’t disappear, they build up until we can’t handle them anymore. Then we end up burning out or having a mental breakdown. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If instead, we pay attention to our emotions, give ourselves what we need to deal with those emotions, then let them go, we would all be better equipped to handle daily stressors with more ease. 

Examples of Emotional Self-Care Practices

• Journaling
• Practice self-compassion and self-love
• Going to therapy
• Set boundaries with others
• Practice positive self-talk
• Repeat positive affirmations
• Practice gratitude
• Allowing yourself to relax
• Go on a date with yourself
• Have a good cry
• Watch a funny movie or video
• Write a list of little things that make you happy
• Question your automatic thoughts
• Identify your triggers
• EFT tapping (link to another resource??)
• DBT skills exercises

As a neurodivergent person, emotional self-care is crucial to overall health and wellbeing. When we have executive dysfunction, we often struggle with regulating our emotions. Unfortunately, our society does a lousy job of teaching us emotional regulation skills. When we can’t regulate our emotions, we end up frequently in a state of fight, flight, or freeze, which makes it tough to make wise decisions and solve life’s problems.

Having a toolbox of emotional self-care practices can help us deal with stress as it comes, instead of ignoring it and letting it build up until we reach burnout. Life can be a rollercoaster of feelings, and taking the time to acknowledge and understand our emotions is crucial to our well-being. It’s okay to feel the full spectrum of emotions – the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Embracing our feelings with compassion and curiosity is the first step in the journey of emotional self-care.

Intellectual Self-Care

Intellectual self-care is all about curiosity,  learning, and growth. We need frequent mental stimulation for our own well-being. Engaging our brains help us build resilience by being able to make wiser decisions and tackle challenging problems effectively. In addition, if we allow ourselves to pursue our passions and interests, we open up doors to new possibilities and create more room for joy and play.

Examples of Mental Self-Care Practices

• Read a book
• Work on a puzzle
• Research a topic you’ve been curious about
• Play a video game
• Watch a TED talk
• Listen to a podcast
• Learn a new skill
• Bake or cook something new
• Start a new hobby
• Learn a new language
• Create something
• Practice writing
• Adult coloring
• Take time off social media
• Write out your goals and aspirations
• Daydream
• Make a bucket list
• Use a habit tracker
• Create a morning routine
• Create a bedtime routine
• Do a brain dump to clear your mind

These kinds of activities are also helpful if you are feeling bored or stuck in life. Breaking out of our old patterns and changing up our routines can create new mental pathways that make us better at dealing with life’s struggles. Having a list of practices on hand that we enjoy, that we know excite us or relax us, can be a tremendous source of stress relief when life gets us down.

If it’s been a while since you’ve practiced intellectual self-care, I advise you to simply start to follow your curiosity. Think about some of the things you used to enjoy as a child and try something similar. Look for creative ideas on Pinterest. Just make sure you aren’t always just researching, and actually try out the ideas that you come across.

Spiritual Self-Care

Spiritual self-care involves anything that helps us develop a more profound purpose in life, get in touch with our authentic selves, or find a connection to something bigger than us. It is about getting to know ourselves better, so we can live our lives through our core beliefs and values. It should be noted, spiritual self-care doesn’t have to include religious practices, but it can if that helps nurture your spirit.

Examples of Spiritual Self-Care Practices

• Meditation
• Yoga
• Pray or converse with the universe
• Mindfulness
• Connect with nature
• Cleansing your energy by burning sage or using crystals
• Reiki session
• Use tarot or oracle cards
• Balance your chakras
• Celebrate seasonal changes
• Reflect on your core values and if your life aligns with them
• Practice forgiveness
• Read spiritual books or articles
• Grounding exercises
• Visualization
• Create a vision board

This is the first area I look at when I’m feeling “off” or like my energy just isn’t in the right place. When we feel lonely or disconnected from the universe, or from others, our energy gets stagnated. We feel like we have to push ourselves harder, but it still doesn’t seem like we are making any progress. 

Spiritual self-care asks us to slow down, get quiet, and tune into our soul’s desires. The world we live in can be so face-paced and chaotic, it can be difficult to hear the whisper of our intuition. Using spiritual practices can help us listen to and follow our intuition so we can live a life that is more aligned with our true essence.

Social Self-Care

Humans were made for connection. We are very social creatures and even introverts regularly need to spend time with others. Social self-care is about creating bonds with others and nurturing our authentic relationships to improve our happiness. Moreover, creating a strong support system will greatly help us to increase resilience in our lives.

Examples of Social Self-Care Practices

• Spend time with family
• Cuddle or play with a pet (or your kids)
• Hug someone
• Text or call a friend or family member
• Do something nice for someone
• Smile at a stranger
• Hang out with a friend
• Kiss your significant other
• Volunteer
• Set boundaries with others – Say no to something you don’t want to do or don’t have the energy for
• Ask for help when you need it
• Take a community class
• Join a book club
• Join an online group

Social self-care means focusing on connecting with the people in your life that deserve your attention and care. We can get so busy with everyday life that we don’t stop to appreciate the relationships we have with our loved ones. When we do spend time with others, we tend to be distracted, whether it’s by our phones, the tv, or even our own thoughts about other things.

We can easily forget to nurture our relationships because it’s not something we can just check off our to-do list; relationships need regular maintenance. Sometimes this means scheduling these things in our calendars, such as a weekly date night with your partner or a monthly outing with your friends or family.

Environmental Self-Care

Environmental self-care practices are activities we don’t usually associate with self-care. However, the environment we are in has a huge impact on our mental and emotional health. That’s why it’s hard to focus in a cluttered room or why we can get depressed when we don’t get enough natural lighting on a regular basis. If you are an entrepreneur or work from home, you have a bit more control in this area.

Examples of Environmental Self-Care Practices

• Make your bed
• Open the blinds or curtains and let in some natural light
• Open the windows if the weather allows
• Get a plant
• Declutter something
• Clean an area of your home that’s been bothering you
• Add some uplifting decor to your workspace or home
• Rearrange the furniture in your home
• Organize your office and paperwork
• Find a cute and comfy coffee shop or coworking space for when you need a change in scenery
• Diffuse some essential oils
• Light a candle
• Listen to ASMR
• Listen to music to improve your mood
• Explore a new place in your city
• Take a trip
• Watch the sunrise/sunset
• Stargaze
• Spend time outside
• Start a garden

If you spend a lot of your time indoors, it goes a long way to declutter and organize your living and working spaces. If you don’t have as much control over your indoor space for whatever reason, taking plenty of breaks during the day to just step outside or go for a walk can do wonders for your health. 

It can help to think of the five senses in coming up with other ideas. Any small things that can be added or removed to lessen our overwhelm can be considered environmental self-care. The more we make our environment a comforting and beautiful place to be, the easier it is to uplift our mood and increase our energy levels. 

Professional Self-Care

Professional self-care encompasses things that help us improve our work-life balance and reach the next level of success in our businesses or careers. Having tools and strategies in place to make your work life sustainable is the key to success in this area of self-care.

Examples of Professional Self-Care Practices

• Keep healthy snacks nearby to sustain your energy throughout the day
• Take an online course to learn something new to advance your business or career
• Get a certification to help you improve your professional knowledge and skills
• Take work breaks throughout the day
• Eat lunch away from your desk
• Learn to set work boundaries and say no when you need to

Examples of Work From Home Professional Self-Care Practices

• Schedule focused work time
• Outsource parts of your business that you don’t enjoy
• Create a “start of workday” ritual to get your mind into creative, focused mode
• Create an “end of workday” ritual, to allow yourself to turn off your work brain and relax

I believe the most important part of professional self-care is making sure your work is not your entire life. Boundaries are necessary to prevent us from reaching burnout. In order to be productive in our work, we need to take the necessary time to recharge and care for the other aspects of our lives.

Conclusion

Embracing practices in each of the 7 types of self-care leads to a more balanced and fulfilling life. We’ve explored various ways to fulfill our needs in each of the areas of our lives. We’ve learned that self-care is not just about treating ourselves occasionally but rather a continuous practice that nourishes our mind, body, and soul.

Remember, self-care is not selfish; it’s essential. By taking care of ourselves, we become better equipped to handle life’s challenges and support others around us. When we invest time and effort into our own well-being, we radiate positivity and love to those we encounter.

While incorporating all 7 types of self-care may seem overwhelming, remember that every small step counts. Start by identifying the areas that may need the most attention and gradually incorporate practices that resonate with you. Take time each day to prioritize your well-being, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Whether it’s meditating in the morning, going for a walk in nature, or simply allowing yourself to rest and take some deep breaths, these acts of self-care can have a profound impact on your overall happiness and health.

As you continue your self-care journey, remember that it’s not about perfection but progress. Celebrate each step forward and be gentle with yourself during setbacks. Self-care is a lifelong practice, and it’s okay to have ups and downs along the way.

Comment below with your own experience with self-care and feel free to share other unique self-care practices that you enjoy!