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What is Self-Care?
Self-care is an umbrella term of actions taken to care for our bodies and lives. It is a holistic approach made up of several categories. It is not just bubble baths and massages!
What Does Self-Care Have to Do with Being a Special Needs Parent?
A lot! Special needs parents have a lot on their plates both physically and mentally. Self-care is essential.
Special needs parents are often told to take care of themselves. This can feel like very vague advice.
When special needs parents talk with doctors, schools, case managers and other helping agencies the questions around self-care and support can often feel disheartening or even tone-deaf especially if resources and support are in short supply.
Follow up actions, resources or supports are rarely offered to parents in these conversations. This is one of the driving forces in creating Full Cup Caregiver.
Take Heart – Small Changes Can Have a Positive Impact
Life as a special needs parent can often feel overwhelming especially when a child is in crisis. Self-care may feel like one more to-do on a never ending list. Or it may feel like one more thing you are not able to do right now and that leads to worse feelings. Take heart we are here to look into what exactly self-care is and how to make even small changes to have a meaningful impact in your life.
Did you know self-care is actually a group of areas?
Self-care is a holistic approach to taking care of all aspects of your life for optimal health and wellness. Different sources will break these areas down into slightly different categories. For our purposes, I have broken them up into the following:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Social
- Psychological
- Environmental
- Professional
- Spiritual
- Financial
- Recreational
- Organizational
Self-Care Categories – A Closer Look
Let’s look a little closer at each of these areas. Think about these areas in your life. It is common to have areas of strength and areas you would like to improve. In each section, I will provide a suggested step to try today or tomorrow. Let us know how they work for you in the comment section.
Physical
This area focuses on taking care of your physical body. It includes health, nutrition, sleep, exercise and rest.
Action Step: Brush your teeth and then have a full glass of water to boost hydration.
Emotional
This area focuses on taking care of your emotional health. It includes managing stress and handling emotions.
Action Step: Check in with yourself throughout the day and ask yourself “how am I feeling right now?” Doing this on the hour may prevent you from inadvertently only noting every time you have a big or unpleasant emotion. Bonus Tip: Write your answer down each hour and review at the end of the day. Were you surprised by what you wrote? Does this reflect a typical day?
Action Step: Read about Ways Gratitude Can Improve Emotional Health.
Social
This area focuses on taking care of and building relationships with others. It includes being a good friend and having a trusted group of people that support you.
Action Step: Text, email or call a friend. It can be as simple as sending a quick “hope you are having a good day!”
Action Step: Read suggestions for Finding a Good Support System as a Special Needs Parent.
Psychological
This area focuses on taking care of yourself through learning and growth. It includes creativity, mindfulness, and learning new things.
Action Step: Watch a short video or read a short article on an activity that interests you. Need some inspiration? Try looking up benefits of adult coloring, square breathing, or mindful eating.
Environmental
This area focuses on taking care of your physical space. It includes maintaining your home, car, and work areas.
Action Step: Take five minutes and go around the house and throw away trash and empty trash cans. Bonus: This can count as some exercise as well!
Read More: Check out Organizing Physical Items to Improve Quality of Life.
Read More: You may also like ideas for Creating a Calmer Home.
Professional
This area focuses on living your purpose. It includes sharing your strengths while maintaining professional boundaries.
Action Step: Whether you work in an office or in the home, take your lunch/meal break. Have a healthy meal with a fruit or vegetable. Bonus tip: Now is a great time to add another glass of water to maintain hydration.
Spiritual
This area focuses on nurturing beliefs and values that guide your life. It includes activities such as journaling, meditation, prayer, and time spent in nature.
Action Step: Spend five minutes with nature. If you are unable to sit outside, you could sit near a window, water a plant, or admire some pictures of nature online.
Financial
This area focuses on taking care of your resources. It includes knowledge of overall finances, as well as spending and saving money wisely.
Action Step: Clean out and organize your wallet and/or purse.
Action Step: Read Financial Self-Care for Special Needs Parents.
Recreational
This area focuses on taking time for fun and entertainment. It includes playing games, watching movies or tv shows, doing a crossword, or going for a hike.
Action Step: Think of a list of activities you enjoy doing. If you have difficulty, think of things you have enjoyed in the past. You can also think about things that have been on your “to try one day” list. I would like to try riding in a hot air balloon and to ride on an elephant. Since this is a short action step, look around your home and see what you can do now during recreation time. Do you have a stash of puzzles waiting to be started, a magazine to read, or maybe a half-completed craft project?
Action Step: Try some of the ideas from Hobbies to Boost Self-Care for Special Needs Parents.
Organizational
This area focuses on managing our time and keeping organized. It includes knowing where important documents are located, creating routines to allow for a smooth transition to school and work, use of calendars and reminders to keep appointments. It also includes time management to get to appointments on time and to find and create time in your day for self-care.
Action Step: Take five minutes to delete and organize your email. Put important email in folders so you can find them easier. Label one for appointments if applicable.
Self-Care in Summary
You may have noticed many of the action steps combine two areas. These are all greater components of a whole. Addressing multiple areas within one activity such as mindfully (psychological) cleaning the home (environmental) while moving quickly (physical) strengthens these areas individually and you as a whole.
Action Step Recap
- Physical – Drink a glass of water after brushing your teeth.
- Emotional – Check in every hour and review your emotions list at the end of the day.
- Social – Reach out to one friend to say hello.
- Psychological – Check out a short video or article on a topic of interest.
- Environmental – Set a timer for five minutes and pick up trash around the home.
- Professional – Eat a healthy meal or snack during a break – include another glass of water.
- Spiritual – Spend five minutes with nature.
- Financial – Clean out and organize your wallet and/or purse.
- Recreational – Think of activities you enjoy or want to try. Look around your home to see what you may already have.
- Organizational – Clean out and organize your email.
Taking the time to read through this post and think about these areas of self-care is itself an act of self-care! Which one of these action steps helped you the most? Share below to inspire other parents and caregivers.
Looking for some simple and quick self-care ideas to get started? Find 50 ideas here: Fast and Free Self-Care Ideas for Special Needs Parents.
If you are looking for more ways to fill your cup, sign up for the Full Cup Caregiver newsletter!
(This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a commission, if you purchase an item through a link, at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Genuine recommendations only.)
