Self-Care: How to Recharge to Enhance Well-being and Prevent Burnout

Self-care is an often-overlooked aspect of one’s holistic well-being. Self-care activities can be defined as any practice that enhances your well-being in physical, mental, and emotional dimensions, to name a few. Engaging in self-care is particularly important when you feel stressed or simply in need of a rest or reset. You can choose self-care activities that work best for you and your needs to improve your functioning, well-being, and overall health and happiness. The benefits of self-care may include improving physical health, emotional and mental well-being, improving relationships, and increasing self-esteem and self-worth. 

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Not only can it provide numerous benefits to your holistic well-being, but self-care also works great as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of burnout. This is important because burnout can have several consequences to one’s mental and physical functioning, including fatigue, irritability, insomnia, and even depression. 

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With this in mind, it is important to address an often-underlying cause for individuals avoiding self-care practices, which is often the perception that it is a long and overwhelming process that you simply do not have the time for. In actuality, self-care can be tailored to fit perfectly into your busy schedule. Self-care can be implemented in as little as a few 5-minute increments spread throughout your day. Here, you can practice mindful breathing, write a journal entry, or even just stretch your body. More examples of self-care practices include the following: 

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• Physical: Eat healthily, go for a walk, limit your use of substance use, getting quality sleep. 

• Social: Talk with friends and family, engage in healthy social media use. 

• Spiritual: Meditate, pray, practice yoga and deep breathing.

• Mental: Journal, engage in creative writing, complete puzzles, read a good book. 

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If you need motivation or ideas for further self-care activities, visit https://www.frostbeardstudio.com/en-ca/blogs/news/the-ultimate-list-of-self-care-activities-for-every-mood

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Additionally, speaking with a mental health professional is a great place to start in understanding how to tailor an approach to your specific needs and find practices that resonate with you. In doing so, you will be able to continuously fill your cup back up so that you can show up as your most authentic and healthy self. 

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‍Author's note: The content in this article is for educational purposes only. Please speak with a healthcare provider to obtain appropriate recommendations for any mental health concerns.

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References

The ultimate list of self-care activities for every mood. (2024). Frostbeard Studio. https://www.frostbeardstudio.com/en-ca/blogs/news/the-ultimate-list-of-self-care-activities-for-every-mood

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