September is the beginning for many different aspects in our lives. The summertime is now over, the school year has just begun and many of our schedules are beginning to fill up again. While preparing for all of the events and activities this month, do not forget to plan to take care of yourself!

Self-care is a necessity and it is the necessity “to do things that are good for our physical, emotional or psychological well-being” (Cabotaje, 2021). There are multiple categories of self-care. The categories consist of emotional self-care, mental self-care, physical self-care, social self-care and spiritual self-care (Scott, 2021).

Activities that can be done to practice emotional self-care can include journaling or talking your feelings out with a loved one. Activities that can be done to practice mental self-care include reading or doing sudoku since they both stimulate your mind. Physical self-care consists of activities that help you to take care of your physical health such as playing a sport or working out.

Social self-care can consist of activities that can help strengthen your relationships such as spending time with the one’s you love or checking up on them.

Lastly, spiritual self-care consists of activities that include your religion or that help you feel more connected spiritually such as praying or reading a religious book. During the month of September, everyday spend at least twenty minutes of uninterrupted time to tend to yourself and your needs.

No matter how you choose to take care of yourself, make sure you set time aside to take care of you! Your body and your mind will thank you for it.

`Ms. Gabrielle Mills

LaVante’ N. Dorsey & Associates LLC Master of Social Work Intern

References

Cabotaje, A. (2021, February 4). What does self-care mean? Right as Rain by UW Medicine. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/mind/mental-health/self-care-meaning.

Scott, E. (2021, July 29). 5 self-care practices for every area of your life. Verywell Mind. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from https://www.verywellmind.com/self-care-strategies-overall-stress-reduction-3144729.