Self Care Ideas PDF
Click below to learn about self-care, what it includes, and why it should be considered in your mental health journey.
Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.
What is self-care?
Self-care is an essential aspect of our lives that should be included in our daily routine to maintain and support a state of tranquility. Often confused with self-indulgence, self-care helps the individual balance desire and what is required to accomplish.
The World Health Organization (2022) defines self-care as maintaining health and preventing and coping with disease, illnesses, and disability. This can be through the support from a health worker or not.
There are a range of self-care practices that are evidence-based and can support not only physical health but positive mental health as well. In this guide, we'll go through some self-care benefits, exercises, plans, and the importance of these activities that leave individuals feeling accomplished and content with their everyday routine.
The great thing about self-care is that it is simple to adapt to your current routine. Check below for some exercises you can implement daily to enhance your well-being.
Printable Self Care Ideas PDF
Download this Self Care Ideas PDF to help clients to create a solid self care routine to improve mental health and well-being.
Importance of self-care
Self-care is an integral part of our everyday lives. It has a range of benefits that can enhance overall well-being, and by utilizing these practices, individuals can look forward to a more solid routine during their days. It's good first to comprehend how much self-care the individual engages with. You can do this by utilizing our self-care assessment.
Self-care means taking the time to do things that you, as an individual, enjoy. It can often get confused with being indulging, but it's good to remember to have a good balance between doing things for self-care and taking care of needs as well.
Self-care can support individuals in their mental health by managing stress, lowering the risk of illness, and keeping an increase in energy. National Institute of Mental Health (2022) suggests that even if an individual partakes in more minor acts of self-care, it will still benefit that individual's overall well-being.
It's important to remember that self-care will look different for everyone. Whether some people implement it into their daily routine or choose self-care as their coping mechanism when they need a refreshing method in a difficult time, self-care skills are vitally important when looking after your overall well-being.
How to use the Self Care Ideas PDF worksheet
Utilizing this self-care worksheet is simple! Whether you are using it within your clinical practice for patients or want to take some time for yourself, you can use this PDF wherever you see fit. To create even further simplicity, we've created an easy-to-follow step-by-step instruction set for you to use.
Step one: Download the Self Care Ideas PDF
You can do this by navigating the Carepatron website to the templates page. From here, go ahead and download this PDF. You can use this worksheet on your device as an online version. Or, if you prefer a printable version, go ahead and print this document out for use in your clinical setting or to give to your patients.
Step two: Talk to your patients
When it comes to self-care, it's a great idea to talk about what self-care means to your patient. Self-care comes in many forms, and it's up to the individual to engage in these activities. If you notice the patient has negative self-care examples, it can be a good idea to introduce these positive examples and set a few goals slowly.
Step three: Check in with your patients
Checking in with your patients is always a good idea during therapy sessions. When your clients are working on self-care measures within their lives, individuals can be motivated by check-ins at their sessions. Knowing they have a session scheduled where you will discuss what they have been achieving in terms of their self-care can promote motivation and engagement.
Within these check-ins, you can set more goals, understand what is and is not working, and even create more goals that may not already be on our example!
Self Care Ideas PDF example (sample)
Like we said, here at Carepatron, we're dedicated to making the lives of all healthcare practitioners that much easier! Self-care doesn't only have to be dedicated to mental health. Other aspects of our health can be supported through self-care. That's why we've gone ahead and created this PDF; these self-care examples can help all aspects of overall health.
Download this free Self Care Ideas PDF example here:
Examples of self-care
A range of self-care options support a more positive mindset towards tranquility in all aspects of health. Here are a few significant elements we deem most important in an individual's life.
It's important to remember that individuals will value different aspects with greater or smaller value. For example, we might value our physical self-care a little more than our spiritual aspect, and that's okay. It's all about creating a balance!
Physical
There are a range of physical self-care exercises that an individual can implement into their weekly routine. Don't worry; these examples are also included in the free PDF. Here are a few physical self-care examples:
- Regular exercise
- Eating healthy
- Stress management
- Adequate sleep
- Hygiene
- Regular health check-ups
Individuals could use these examples to create a physical routine supporting all self-care aspects.
It's important to recognize that even though some activities are only scheduled annually (regular health check-ups), they still count towards the overall physical self-care for an individual.
Mental & emotional
Likewise to supporting your physical health through self-care, an individual's mental well-being is also essential. A range of activities cover the mental aspect of the individual's overall well-being. Here are a few:
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Journaling
- Therapy or counseling
- Positive affirmations
- Developing positive coping mechanisms
- Gratitude practice
- Seeking support
- Setting boundaries
These activities can support a better mental health system for that individual. Implementing these aspects into a routine can be recommended so that they are taken care of. For some, taking care of mental health can be a task that they dread. It's easy for people to forget the mental aspect of their lives until it is too late.
Social
Social wellness is another important aspect for all of us to engage in. Whether knowing when your social battery is up or spending more time with the ones you love, social wellness is often forgotten. It contributes significantly to how we feel about ourselves. Here are a few examples:
- Quality time with loved ones
- Open communication
- Building new friendships
- Joining clubs
- Volunteering
- Attending social events
- Recognizing when alone time is required
- Conflict resolution
These self-care activities promote positive relationships and reach outwards to the community. This can foster a greater understanding of oneself and enhance overall well-being.
Spiritual
Spiritual well-being is something that can easily be forgotten about when dealing with other issues within your life. Individuals going through a difficult time may feel that they are not ready to engage with spiritual meaning within their lives—or those who are already spiritual believers may move away from their beliefs. Self-care regarding one spiritual aspect may include:
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Prayer
- Journaling
- Attending regular religious services
- Acts of kindness
These activities can help move people towards their spiritual side more. It can reconnect those who may feel lost in their faith and beliefs, enhancing their overall well-being.
Why use Carepatron as your mental health software?
Carepatron is the best place for all your mental health software requirements.
Here at Carepatron, we are dedicated to simplifying all healthcare professionals' lives. We take this very seriously as we are motivated by our mental health care specialists mainly. With over 1,000 templates dedicated to resources you can utilize in your clinic, you can ensure you're obtaining only the most significant and genuine information to use in your clinical setting with your clients.
We're also big on our OS system. Carepatron has a range of tools and resources that set us apart from other healthcare systems.
When you choose Carepatron, you can access therapy practice management software that supports you and your co-workers. You can look forward to our ability to set patient reminders with our patient appointment reminder software, the ease of our clinical note system with our clinical documentation software that allows you access from home or the office, and the bills with our medical billing software.
So, what are you waiting for? With Carepatron, you can access various psychological and other resources that allow you and your client to connect better and facilitate a better experience for you and your patients.
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References
National Institute of Mental Health. (2022, December). Caring for Your Mental Health. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health#:~:text=a%20mental%20illness.-
World Health Organization. (2022). Self-care interventions for health. Www.who.int. https://www.who.int/health-topics/self-care#tab=tab_1
Commonly asked questions
There are many aspects to self-care. This PDF focuses on well-being's physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects.
You can create a self-care routine by dedicating some moments of your day to activities you find helpful or listed in this free PDF. You can also focus on using a self-care routine when you feel vulnerable and need time to wind down.
These can be anything you like! Some people may find that shopping is self-care, while others indulge in activities such as weight lifting.
