The importance of taking time for yourself: What experts say about the benefits of self-care for mental health
How long have you been taking time for yourself? What was the last self-care action you took? Are you aware of the positive impact self-care has on your mental health?
Self-care consists of performing a series of actions and behaviors aimed at achieving personal well-being—and while it may sound vain, individualistic, and selfish—it is more of an act of self-love.
People who dedicate time and space to self-care often experience feelings of guilt, as the collective imagination attributes a negative connotation to it. I believe it's essential to dispel this myth and raise collective awareness about the power of self-care.
A person who is able to take care of themselves will be better able to care for others and move from personal commitment and responsibility to a group or collective one. This, in turn, promotes health by preventing the onset of physical and mental illness.
Self-care is one of the factors that fosters strong and strong self-love, and is the fundamental pillar of our mental health and overall well-being.
Self-care is an act of self-love. Photo: iStock
Self-care can be reflected in different dimensions:
- Emotional . It's essential to learn to recognize our emotions, accept them, analyze why they occur at this moment, what we need to learn from them, identify how they affect our body and behavior, and manage them appropriately.
- Spiritual . Cultivating a belief in something that transcends the material plane, whether it's a religion, universal intelligence, the power of reflection, or self-reflection.
- Physics . The connection with the body, its needs, and potential ailments or discomfort. Physical health care from a biological and medical perspective.
- Personal image . Body image conveys a message simply through eye contact. Without a word, the other person can decode certain aspects of our personality. It's a sort of identity document on which we project personal elements. Being well-groomed, neat, and appropriately dressed for the occasion speaks to a certain cognitive and behavioral coherence; it relates to your thinking style and what you do.
- Cognitive . It's vital to learn to identify and recognize your thinking patterns: whether they're positive, negative, or catastrophic. If you notice that yours relates to these last two cognitive patterns, you need to work to generate changes. Taking care of your thinking is essential for your mental health and well-being. I always say that "thoughts build your reality."
- Behavioral . Being aware of our behaviors, habits, and routines is essential. Are you a reacting or responding person? Reacting is linked to the visceral and impulsive.
- Social/bonding . The type of bonds we establish, and especially with whom, is very important. Surrounding ourselves with positive, healthy people with whom we share good times, exchange ideas, laughs, hugs, and affinity regarding preferences and tastes, and who also contribute to our lives, is key. We must be attentive to this and, if we identify the presence of toxic bonds or people, set a boundary and establish a certain distance, at least emotionally. Physical distance is sometimes not so easy depending on the type of bond (family relationship, when living with the person, etc.).
Consider the following self-care actions.
- Read a text whose content promotes your personal growth and development.
- Take a few minutes a day for yourself alone, without distracting stimuli, and connect with your thoughts, your body, and your emotions.
- Work on self-knowledge to then improve and enhance what you really need today.
- Connect with yourself, listen without judgment, and be empathetic and self-compassionate.
- Forgive yourself for all those things that still make you feel guilty and cause you significant suffering and discomfort.
- Respect their time, their desire, their energy level.
- Work to keep your mind calm.
Self-care is an act of self-love, self-esteem, and a balanced emotional life, comprehensive well-being, and quality of life.
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