10 Types Of Self-Care & How To Practice Them

So what are the different types of self-care? Well, these different dimensions of self-care encompass the many areas of your life and facets of your identity that may require nurturing from time to time. 

Whenever you feel yourself starting to burn out or feel overwhelmed, take a moment to consider which pillar of self-care might need your attention in that moment, and do something about it! Over time, you’ll develop a self-care routine that will help you achieve more balance and clarity in your life.

1. Physical self-care

This is an easy one, and the one most people will think of when you say the words ‘self-care’! I acknowledge that this is a pretty popular type of self-care, but I also look forward to other types of self-care being normalised too.

Physical self-care includes all the activities that you do to ensure your body is healthy and well. This includes physical movement, healthy sleep habits, and balanced nutrition. 

When you prioritise this pillar of self-care, you feel like a well-oiled machine. Your energy levels rise and you feel more physically healthy and strong. You find that you’re sick less often, and even when you do feel unwell, it’s never more than just a few days.

Here are a few examples of physical self-care:

• Drink enough water every day (I always have my Fressko water bottle nearby so I can sip on water throughout the day)
• Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night
• Exercise at least 3 times a week
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Use sunscreen every day!

2. Mental self-care

This pillar of self-care, for me personally, is often neglected. That’s why one of my goals for this year is taking better care of my mental health! And after everything that happened last year, I think we could all start prioritising this type of self-care a little bit more.

Mental self-care includes activities that help you maintain your mental wellbeing. This encompasses any activity that helps you practice gratitude, maintain a positive mindset, and address mental health issues.

When you prioritise mental self-care, you’ll develop mental resilience and an inner strength to overcome the challenges of each day. There’s a special kind of confidence when you realize you’re mentally capable of taking anything on!

Here are some self-care practices that help nourish your mental health

• Practice positive affirmations everyday
• Start a gratitude journal and write in it every night. My Curation Planner by Saint Belford has a section especially for a gratitude list every week – use code ADRIANA for 10% off your purchase!)
• See a mental health specialist to address underlying issues (or just maintain good mental health!)
• Begin your day with meditation
• Take frequent breaks at work

3. Emotional self-care

If you’re in your 20s or 30s, I think you’ll agree that emotional regulation isn’t something we grew up knowing. I, for one, have strived to do better with this in raising my kids to understand emotions, label them, and develop healthy emotional responses to challenging situations.

However, even though I’m somewhat grown, I still find my inner child protesting against daily injustices in a way that isn’t healthy in the long run.

Emotional self-care requires confronting your less-than-desirable coping habits and unpacking them so you can start to develop healthier responses. It’s about approaching your emotions with compassion and understanding, allowing you to be better able to handle setbacks more calmly and effectively.

Emotional self-care sometimes looks like this:

• Giving yourself a time out during conflict to cool off 
• Reflecting on your emotions with a trusted friend or partner during calm moments
• Writing about your feelings in a journal
• Forgiving yourself for past mistakes
• Practicing mindfulness in your daily life to stay tuned in to your emotional needs
• Learning to develop emotional intelligence (this TedX talk but Ramona Hacker is a good start)

4. Social self-care

I don’t know about you, but my social life has transformed dramatically in the last year. Being in lockdown for weeks and months on end has meant that most of my social interactions happen online. I am far from being the only one who’s going through this, I’m sure.

That being said, even if I’m not encountering IRL social situations that I used to pre-pandemic, I still require social self-care to feel content. Humans are built for being social and we gain a lot of happiness from feeling like part of a community. Developing and nurturing social connections is at the core of who we are!

Here are some examples of social self-care:

• Have a deep, meaningful conversation with a close friend
• Set healthy boundaries with the people in your life
• Unplug from technology during face-to-face conversations
• Stay romantic with your partner even when life gets busy
• Surprise a friend or family member with a small gift
• Create a healthy social media experience for yourself

5. Spiritual self-care

For some, spiritual self-care is closely tied to religion. But religion isn’t the only way to practice spiritual self-care. There are many things we can do every day to nourish our spirit that doesn’t require worship.

I think life is beautifully complex, and spiritual fulfillment is one of the ways we can feel less alone in this world. It’s about finding your purpose in life, a bigger reason for why you exist and the role you can play (and the legacy you’ll leave) in your time here on Earth.

Here are some examples of spiritual self-care:

• Start your mornings with meditation and/or prayer
• Stay active in your community through volunteering
• Spend time in nature – no tech allowed!
• Do a random act of kindness
• Engage with people who are different from you

6. Spatial self-care

Spatial self-care is all about creating an environment that supports and motivates you. It’s about cultivating an energy that works for you in any space you spend a considerable amount of time in. It’s also a chance for you to set cues around your space to support what you do most in those spaces!

So if you need your desk space to be free of clutter in order to start work with a clear mind, do that. If you need 100 cushions to feel comfy on your couch when winding down for bed (like me), do that. Make your spaces work for you.

Here are a few other examples of spatial or environmental self-care:

• Clean up your work desk at the end of each day
• Set up a scented candle or diffuser that suits the space and its function
• Display your favourite artwork
• Create your own decor – there are so many DIY ideas out there!
• Make sure there’s some kind of greenery in your space
• Invest in your comfort (like with ergonomic chairs or a really good bed)

7. Professional self-care

If you have a job of any kind, you know that there’s deep satisfaction in continuously improving yourself at work. I find that investing into your career growth isn’t just great at work, it also makes you a better person overall.

Depending on your line of work, professional self-care might even be something that your workplace can financially support. At the very least, you can claim it as a deductible expense come tax time. Just saying!

Anyway, here are some examples of occupational self-care that has the added bonus of getting you ahead in your career:

• Set realistic goals for your career and keep track of them
• Attend networking events 
• Connect with at least one new work contact each week
• Form supportive friendships with colleagues that you get along with
• Read industry or trade publications from time to time
• Join a course that will help you develop your career or specific skill set
• Don’t check on work emails outside of work hours

8. Intellectual self-care

Professional and intellectual self-care are similar in some ways, but I’ve decided to set them apart. Here’s the key reason: while both types of self-care will help you develop and grow, the main purpose of each is different. 

Professional self-care should directly impact your career, while intellectual self-care should impact your own personal growth and understanding of the world.

There are people in my life who continue to inspire me. These are the types of people I can have long and meaningful conversations with. Conversations that never fail to inspire me to do better and dream bigger. 

What do they all have in common? 

They all prioritise intellectual self-care. 

Here are some ways you can invest in your own intellectual self-care too:

• Read personal development and other non-fiction books
• Watch inspirational Ted Talks
• Listen to educational podcasts
• Learn a new language
• Challenge yourself to learn something new every day, even if it’s just a quick summary on Wikipedia

9. Financial self-care

I started on my journey of financial literacy a few years ago, and I honestly feel a lot less stressed about money than I used to be! Financial self-care is all about prioritising and planning your finances so that you can have peace of mind.

I feel the need to point out that financial self-care isn’t necessarily about becoming wealthier or increasing your savings. It’s more about improving your mindset around money and actually addressing issues with your finances before they become a big problem.

Here are a few examples of things you can do for financial self-care:

• Read personal finance books
• Listen to personal finance podcasts
• Pay off your AfterPay and ZipPay balances, then delete them from your life
• Create a strategy to reduce your credit card debt
• Identify your money story and what wealth means to you – write it in a journal!
• Download a budgeting app like Pocketbook so you can analyse your financial habits
• Celebrate all your money wins by listing them down in your journal
• Have an honest chat about finances with your partner and/or friends – let’s normalise this!

10. Recreational self-care

This is one of my favourite types of self-care, but I’ll be completely honest here – it’s often the first type of self-care to go when I’m busy! This is unfortunate, because recreational self-care is all about hobbies and interests, and can create a lasting impact on your happiness.

Having a hobby isn’t just a great outlet for you to have fun and de-stress. It also makes you a more interesting and well-rounded person (among other benefits). Plus, there are social aspects to pretty much any hobby that help you practice a bit of social self-care too!

I know that as a knitter, for example, I’ve attended numerous knitting groups and met new people at yarn markets. I also find that I’m constantly challenging myself to learn new skills and try new yarn from time to time. It’s a hobby that truly brings me joy in many ways, beyond just being able to make pretty things for myself and my family.

No matter what your specific hobbies and interests are, here are a few recreational or hobby-related self-care examples you can start practicing:

• Schedule in time for your hobbies every day or every week
• Join IRL or online communities to connect with other hobbyists
• Commit to developing a new hobby-related skill with each project
• Read about the history of your hobby or watch shows about it (my hubby is a gamer and really enjoyed the documentary series on Netflix called High Score, for example)
• Encourage and support new members of your hobby community

More self-care ideas based on these categories of self-care

If you’re looking to create a self-care routine for yourself, I’ve got you covered! 

I understand how tough it is to find time for self-care in our everyday lives, which is why I’ve chosen 100 self-care activities that only take 5-15 minutes to do, and popped them all into my FREE eBook, “100 Quick And Easy Self-Care Ideas For Busy Women”.

When you download the eBook, you’ll also receive my Self-Care Checklist printable where you can list down your favourite quick and easy self-care activities. It’s a great way to create a self-care plan for yourself. This checklist is divided into 10 sections based on these self-care categories, so you’ll end up with a variety of self-care activities you can do when you’ve got 5, 10, or 15 minutes to spare!

Click below or keep scrolling to download the eBook and printable.

Click here to download the FREE eBook and printable.

Self-care is self love

I urge you to start using self-care as a way to protect your well being and nurture a more mindful approach to your life, and I sincerely hope that the self-care tips I’ve shared can help you with that.

Remember, every part of you is worthy of self-care. And some self-care activities may work better for you compared to others, so take the time to discover what really resonates with you. Just make sure to have some fun with it! 

Want more self-care ideas right in your inbox? Subscribe to my email list to get inspiration content about personal growth, productivity, and self-care every fortnight. Plus, if you sign up now, you’ll get a copy of “100 Quick And Easy Self-Care Ideas For Busy Women” and the bonus Self-Care Checklist printable right away: