Self-care: Where Do I Start?

While it can feel fulfilling to support loved ones if they are experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge, providing help can also take a toll on your own physical and mental wellbeing. It can be emotionally draining, bring up feelings of anxiety or sadness, or even make you physically tired.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with self-care, it can be difficult to know how to start. Luckily, the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) curriculum has tips to get you going on your self-care journey. According to MHFA, self-care refers to activities and practices that you can engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress and maintain your short- and long-term health and wellbeing.

Your self-care plan should consist of activities you enjoy doing, and it’s OK if your plan changes and grows as you do. Remember that self-care is something you should do for yourself. Your plan should be individualized for you and help combat the symptoms that may arise with burnout, stress, anxiety or depression. Here are five goals to keep in mind when developing your self-care plan:

1. Taking care of physical and psychological health. 2. Managing and reducing stress. 3. Recognizing emotional and spiritual needs. 4. Fostering and sustaining relationships. 5. Achieving balance in different areas of life.

Creating your plan around these goals will give you a more holistic approach to supporting your mental health and ensures that you’re covered in all areas of your wellbeing. People will differ in which areas they want to emphasize but finding a balance that works for you is important.

The core tenet of self-care is you. Aim to find activities you enjoy that will help reduce feelings of stress and burnout, not add to it. If you find that something is no longer serving you, try something new! The ways in which you implement self-care should be intentional and actively planned rather than something that just happens — make a commitment to yourself, for yourself.