Self-Care vs. Basic Needs
Written by Ashley Grob, LCSW
Self-care is something we need. This can look differently to each person, however, it is important to separate self-care and basic needs. Often as therapists we see people confusing the two. Things like eating habits, sleeping schedules, and hygiene are not self-care. These are actually your basic needs. Your basic needs are things that you need in order to survive. Self-care is going one step further and doing something you enjoy simply because you enjoy it. Below are different ways to think of self-care outside of basic needs.
Emotional Self-Care
Similar to a coping skill to help calm yourself, emotional self-care helps us feel connected. If you are feeling emotionally drained this may be the form of self-care to look into. Forms of emotional self-care could be:
Listen to music that matches or is the opposite of your overwhelming feeling
Writing
Talking through your feelings with supports
Professional Self-Care
Does it seem that most of your stress is coming from work? Professional self-care could be lacking as we often hold a lot of weight into our job performances. If we are not careful, this could lead to burnout and decreased energy at work. Professional self-care could look like the following:
Asking for support at work or investing in something that makes your job easier
Setting boundaries around checking work email or taking calls outside of work hours
Taking a personal day to focus on things outside of work
Spiritual Self-Care
Spirituality is often a leading personal belief or value to individuals and families. When one of our core beliefs is being neglected we can easily become overwhelmed and feel out of touch. Think of different ways to express or explore your spirituality and increase those activities to help promote this form of self-care.
Attend a spiritual or religious event
Revisit activities, readings, songs etc. that help you feel connected
Meditation/Praying
Physical Self-Care
This form of self-care is where we often mix our basic needs with self-care. Remember, self-care is something to do because you enjoy it, not because you need it. Instead of thinking about your eating habits, lack of sleep, or how much water you have had today, try to think of ways to relax your body or things that make you physically feel good.
Massage/Spa
Stretching/Yoga
Haircut
Psychological Self-Care
This may be the hardest of them all. Psychological self-care is more mental than the rest of them. Psychological self-care is different from emotional self-care as it is more internal and not necessary based on your feelings. Psychological self-care is more focused on how you think. Which does impact your mood and feelings. Examples of psychological self-care would be:
Words of affirmation
Identifying strengths and acknowledging accomplishments
Validation
Therapy
If we think about these forms of self-care as pieces of our emotional health this can help you identify which piece needs more attention. Think of where your stress is coming from, identify what is lacking or in need of care. Lastly, ask yourself, is what I need right now a basic need or self-care?
If finding time to focus on self-care or holding yourself accountable is difficult, contact one of our therapists at Feeling and Healing and get started on your self-care journey today.