The many layers of self-care

Welcome back, everyone. This will be the last week I will have a conversation with you, as I have been over the previous month. I hope you all enjoyed the break from the standard format but are ready to get back to work, as I will begin to transfer this week back to the old structure while having a simple but direct discussion with you all.

This week’s newsletter will discuss the many layers of self-care. If you spend any time taking care of yourself, you know that it is not always a simple task and that many different parts of yourself need to be cared for to be truly successful in your self-care routines or practices.

This week, we will dive into all these different layers so that those of you who are not caring for the whole self can work to improve, and those who are can become reassured that through this self-care, you will reap benefits now and in the long term. If you are ready to dive in with me, prepare as I begin this journey toward becoming positively improved.

Mental self-care

When it comes to mental self-care, you must take things reasonably seriously. The way we function mentally affects every other aspect of our self-care routines. If you neglect your mental self-care, you will find that you will talk to yourself with more negative self-talk, which will drain your energy and make you vulnerable in every other aspect of your well-being. 

You must take care of yourself mentally first through regular meditation and reflection. Physical exercise, which I will go into shortly, through a proper diet, hydration, and sleep, which I have talked a lot about in previous newsletters.

And one of the best things you can do for your mental self-care is to build yourself up rather than tear yourself down. You have to speak to yourself with love and kindness and be willing to open yourself up to become more motivated and inspired. You should always be your own greatest advocate and supporter. You can not be this person for yourself if you do not have grace for yourself, and you will never be able to be kind and gracious toward others if you can not first give it to yourself.

 One of the benefits of good mental self-care is that you will lower your overall stress levels. With lower stress levels, you will also reduce your chance of any significant illness, and you will increase your motivation and overall energy levels. Although this is an important self-care layer, it is only the first of many that look at the next layer, emotional self-care.

Emotional self-care

Regarding emotional self-care, much like mental care, you should take things seriously. One of the most significant factors to your mental stability is its connection with your emotional stability. When you are emotionally calm and stable, you only strengthen your ability to remain the same mentally, allowing you to manage any situation in the best possible way.

Some other benefits of good emotional self-care would be that you will increase your mood and stamina, which means that you are likely to make better progress with anything that has your attention. Your relationship with yourself, as well as with others, improves. You are far more capable of combating negative emotions or the bad behavior of others. This will also allow you to be more authentic and resilient to challenges and obstacles that life will likely throw at you.

The best way to care for yourself emotionally is to love yourself as you want others to love you. Much like with your mental self-care, you want to lift yourself with affirmations and daily mantras that will encourage you and inspire you to be your best at all times. If you can manage your care when it comes to your emotions, you will reap the benefits that come with caring for yourself the way you most need to be cared for.

Physical self-care

The next layer of your self-care would be your physical self-care. Something to understand about the physical parts of your self-care is much more detailed, and to be at your best, you will need to make time to care for every aspect of your physical needs. Some of these areas would include,

• Skin and nails
• Hair
• Nutrition
• Physical mobility

Now, most of this you do every day without paying attention, such as when you shower, you care for skin, nails, and hair. If you eat a well-balanced diet, you are meeting your nutrition requirements and can function at your peak levels.

If you are physically active at any point of your day, then you are helping your joints and overall physical function. If you sleep the recommended 6 to 8 hours a night, you are helping your body function in all the ways it has to for you to stay in prime health. Again, although there is much more to pay attention to when meeting your physical self-care needs, most of it you already do with no thought.

Spiritual self-care

Most people approach spiritual self-care from a religious path. This is a good approach, no matter your religious doctrine. When it comes to approaching your spiritual self-care from this path, you will gain many benefits, such as,

• A deeper meaning to life
• Better self-awareness
• A stronger connection to enlightenment.
• You will open yourself up to growth and infant knowledge potential
• More incredible connections with the relationship in your life.
• A greater sense of peace and harmony with yourself and the world around you.

Among many other benefits. When you connect good spiritual self-care with good mental, emotional, and physical self-care, you become the example for every life your life will potentially touch. You will function at your highest level of health. When you reach this higher level, you also reap the benefit of vibrationally being your most magnetized and will naturally draw good people and opportunities to you.

The best way to care for yourself regarding spiritual self-care is through meditation and reflection, spending time with nature, and studying your spiritual doctrine. It can be maintained with breathing exercises, Qigong, or yoga and with a dedication to your highest well-being and overall health.

Financial self-sufficiency

Now, the only thing that could improve your self-care is the certainty of being financially self-sufficient. When you are cared for financially, you tend to feel safer and more secure, and although necessary to people in general, it is extremely important to women.

In women’s history, we have been taught to rely on men for this financial security, but it is far better to be self-reliant regarding your financial needs. When you are reliant on another person for something, they always have the potential to use it as leverage against you. With this knowledge, you will only have the freedom to feel completely safe and secure.

Something to always remember: no one on this planet will ever have the ability to care for you the way that you can care for yourself. Thus, they should not be placed in a position of authority over you. The best ways to come to a place of financial self-sufficiency would be to have your income, earn your own money, pay your bills, create your nest egg, and invest in your future. This will leave you feeling safe and cared for, which will only work to amplify your overall well-being.

Final Thoughts

As I come to the close of another weekly newsletter, I can not stress how important it is to take care of yourself from all these different aspects of self-care. When you meet all these needs, you will also align yourself to live your best life and touch countless lives outside your own.

Self-care is something you should do daily, and for those of you who can not manage the time every day, I strongly encourage you to make time at least once a week. Your relationship with yourself sets the stage for every relationship you will hold outside yourself. It will set the stage for your success or your utter failure.

And with that, if you know someone who could use this information, please share it with them. If you want to share your thoughts or feelings about your self-care, please do so in the comment section below.

As always, thank you for joining me this week as I shared this information, taking us all a step closer to becoming positively improved. Until next week, namaste.