How do I personalize self-care for my unique needs?

Personalizing self-care means recognizing your own unique patterns and energy needs. Generic ones are not valuable because nervous reactions differ significantly between individuals. What stimulates one might be a cause of fatigue to another. For a period of two weeks, observe your bodily responses to and feelings after various activities to determine your authentic methods for self-renewal.

My own path contained some surprises. As an introvert, I assumed that alone-time activity would recharge me. Tracking showed that social cooking classes were much more life-giving than either reading or being on data for introverts. This whole idea of relying on a search-oriented approach rather than telling others what they should think led to discrepancies between assumptions and actuality. Your body knows better what is life-giving than does any math formula!

Create a personalized combination of self-care activities based on the findings. If morning meditation helps you stay more focused in the afternoon, consider implementing it. If social media drains your energy, it may be worth limiting your time on it afterwards. If better sleep brings you better focus, make it a point to sleep. There are some interactions. Your individualized plan grows as life changes. Reassess every third month. Self-care changes as life circumstances, needs, and interaction patterns change. Stay adaptable.

Kick off personalization today! Track three activities for two days. Look for any patterns with no judgment. Tomorrow, adjust one factor based on what you discover. This objective process creates self-care that nourishes you, rather than a generic piece of advice that doesn't work.

Read the full article: 7 Essential Self Care Steps for Mental Health