Self-care activities are the things you do to maintain good health and improve well-being. You'll find that many of these activities are things you already do as part of your normal routine. The goal of this writing is to help you learn about your self-care needs by spotting patterns and recognizing areas of your life that need more attention. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to self-care and therapy rather is more about improving your quality of life to build the life "worth living" for you.
Self-care means taking time to do things you enjoy. Usually, self-care involves everyday activities that you find relaxing, fun, or energizing. These activities could be as simple as reading a book, or as big as taking a vacation.
Self-care also means taking care of yourself. This means eating regular meals, getting enough sleep, caring for personal hygiene, and anything else that maintains good health.
Make self-care a priority. There will always be other things to do, but don't let these interrupt the time you set aside for self-care. Self-care should be given the same importance as other responsibilities.
Set specific self-care goals. It's difficult to follow through with vague goals, such as "I will take more time for self-care". Instead, try something specific, such as "I will walk for 30 minutes every evening after dinner".
Unhealthy activities don't count as self-care. Substance use, over-eating, and other unhealthy behaviors might hide uncomfortable emotions temporarily, but they cause more problems in the long run.
Keep up with self-care, even when you're feeling good. Doing so will keep you in a healthy routine. Plus, self-care might be part of the reason why you're feeling good! Sometimes we need to push ourselves into an action that is opposite of our emotions when its towards a healthy goal (opposite action- DBT skill).
How do you practice acts of self-care? Are there ways you can increase your self-care?
Melisa Moreno, LCSWR a licensed clinical social worker practicing in NY, AZ and FL. I studied at New York University and specialize in Dialectic Behavioral Therapy and trauma informed care. She have been working with these treatment models in an in-patient forensic setting for the last 19 years with a private practice in NY, AZ and FL.
Melissa takes a holistic, mindfulness-based psychotherapy approach to help foster healing, self-discovery, and transformation. She is a highly skilled and trained expert in the field of trauma informed care and treatment with a focus on managing symptoms of trauma and inner child healing.
Melissa believes in treating everyone with dignity, sensitivity, and compassion, and have worked respectfully with those who are LGBTQ+, as well as struggling with addictions, eating disorders and significant trauma. Melissa takes an approach that combines cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, attachment repair and narrative therapies. She specializes in trauma informed care and skills.
