Self-Care Practices

Self-care is extremely important for everybody to engage in. It is even more important for those who experience or have experienced trauma. Those healing from traumatic events and are going through the trauma healing process, should practice self-care and listen to their bodies. According to Dr. Hood, “if you truly want to overcome your trauma, you must face your feelings and practice self-care” (2018). Being able to let yourself feel and learning how to level out different feelings with self-care is crucial. However, self-care is not one specific act, or even a combination of certain acts. Self-care looks different for every individual.

Self-care acts can be broken down into seven pillars (Beard, 2022). These seven pillars work together to paint a complete picture. The seven pillars, according to Beard, include: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational and social (2022). What is important when practicing self-care is being aware of the seven different pillars and seeing what area needs focusing on. With those healing from traumatic events, it could be just an emotional focus of self-care and letting yourself feel the feelings or it could be a combination of a few of the pillars, such as mental, emotional and physical. Whatever it may be, self-care is essential for healing and dealing with trauma.

Below are ideas of self-care that fall into each pillar.

Mental:

• Journaling
• Meditation
• Intentional breaks from technology/social media

Emotional:

• Listening to music
• Watching a movie that makes you feel
• Setting boundaries
• Affirmations

Physical:

• Working out
• Eating healthy meals
• Drinking more water
• Taking vitamins

Environmental:

• Cleaning and resetting your space
• Exploring somewhere new

Spiritual:

• Connecting to a higher power
• Volunteering for something you believe in

Recreational:

• Engaging in hobbies
• Playing games, such as board or video games

Social:

• Spending time with family and friends
• Texting or calling a family member or a friend
• Joining a group

References:

Beard, C. (2022). The 7 Pillars of Self-Care and How to Use Them. The Blissful Mind. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://theblissfulmind.com/pillars-of-self-care/.

Hood, J. (2022). The Importance of Self-Care After Trauma. Highland Springs Specialty Clinic. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://highlandspringsclinic.org/the-importance-of-self-care-after-trauma/#:~:text=During%20the%20trauma%20healing%20process,to%20during%20this%20healing%20process.

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