Self Care and Mental Wellness

What is Self-Care?

Self-care, in its most basic form, is anything we do deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. But self-care for mental health can be a little trickier to understand.

It’s easy to see self-care as the warm, fuzzy, and happy things we do to care for ourselves like taking a bubble bath, getting a manicure, and binge-watching Netflix. And while those things are certainly important, sometimes, self-care is raw, real, and painful.

It’s the little things you do just to get through the day, like getting out of bed, taking a shower, putting on clothes, or taking your medication. It’s picking up the phone and calling a therapist when you realize you can no longer carry the weight of your struggles alone. It’s showing up to your psychiatrist appointment when you’d rather cancel. It’s being brave enough to go to the grocery store or coffee shop despite how sad you’re feeling.

It’s acknowledging that the things your illness is making you feel – to lay in bed all day, to hide from the world, to avoid making plans – are not the things you need to get better. It’s the process of realizing that you’re capable of doing so much more than you think you can.

Below is a 30 day self care plan: