What is the purpose of a self-care plan? This is kind of a guide that helps you manage stress, not get desperate, and maintain control when problems arise. It should be a plan of action for you, based on your specific needs.
Why do you need it?
- To gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your needs. The process of developing a strategic plan and then putting it into action will assist you in better understanding yourself and analyzing what you want and what makes you feel better.
- Not to be misguided in a critical circumstance. Fatigue, breakups in relationships, job backlogs, and emotional exhaustion are all common occurrences. You have no idea how to deal with the chaos while maintaining mental stability. A consistent plan will help take control of the situation.
- To take good care of yourself on a regular basis. And to learn how to support yourself when no one does. Matter of fact, if you do it every day and know what you need, it will be easier for you to relax and pull yourself together in a crisis.
Make a Self-Care Plan with These 7 Steps
Notes, diaries, notebooks, and all that is associated with writing help you very well to state your thoughts, ideas and to understand problematic situations if you describe them on paper. So you can “read” your life from the outside and see what moments are missing. Professional writers from the Essaywriter.nyc company who offer writing help, told an interesting fact that when they read students’ writing, they can clearly see the order in which they express their thoughts.
Step 1: Recall Your Old Ways Of Calming Down
Examine your previous experiences. Consider the things you did that made you feel better. Breathing exercises, sports, cooking, movie nights, and communicating with loved ones are all examples of this.
Make a list of your own favorite things. Simply avoid things that can affect your body and mind (alcohol, cigarettes, overeating).
Step 2: Recall What Else Might Help You
Perhaps you’ve practiced some helpful hints, such as meditation for stressful periods. Or you can try distracting yourself with cooking. Perhaps a friend or family member informed you that yoga or massage actually saved their life. Consider all of the possibilities for bringing happiness and pleasure into your life. Make a list for each point.
Step 3: Divide Your Life Into Different Spheres
Choose the ones that are most important to you and create a strategy for each of them. Look at the following:
- Work
- Relations
- Body and mind
- Emotional balance
Step 4: Develop A Strategy
Make a list of things to accomplish in each sphere of your life that will help you feel more comfortable. Use the concepts from the first two steps to do this. Be realistic: every action should be simple. Here are some suggestions for each of the spheres.
Work:
- Spend your lunch break to read a book, go for a walk, or just be alone.
- Tasty food will always improve your mood and aromatic coffee or tea will make you feel comfortable.
- Bring your favorite plants, notebooks, an anti-stress toy to decorate your workplace.
- Purchase a comfortable pillow to maintain your back health.
- Instead of one long break, take several small breaks throughout your work day.
- Listen to pleasant music.
- Talk to your supervisor about the working from home option.
- If possible postpone some non-urgent tasks until later.
Relations:
- Have a call with a close person.
- Discover new places with a friend.
- Seek professional help from a psychologist.
Body and mind:
- Go for a run.
- Meditate or do yoga.
- Take a bath with candles, salt, and foam.
- Dance to your favorite music.
- Cook something delicious.
- Get a relaxing massage.
Emotional stability:
- Keep a diary.
- Do creative work, handicrafts.
- Watch TV series.
- Read something.
- Find new music to listen to.
- Meditate.
- Do breathing exercises.
- Go for a walk.
- Just do nothing.
- Turn off your phone for a couple of days.
- Praise yourself for what you did today and write it down.
The most important thing is that your list includes things that energize and encourage you.
Step 5: Write Down Negative Moment In Your Life
The usual ways to relieve pain are harmful to our health. Alcohol and cigarettes don’t take the problems out of your life, they just temporarily drown them out. And spending time on the Internet all the time will make you feel guilty for wasting time. Write down all of the harmful ways you cope with stress, and replace them with less harmful alternative ways.
Step 6: Write A List Of People You Trust
If you truly want to speak out, you can appeal to relatives, friends, or good acquaintances. Just think again whether you trust these people, so as not to be judged and misunderstood.
Step 7: Implement Your Plan Into Life
Now you have a better understanding of how to make a self-care plan to be able to cope with difficulties. You can also divide it into spheres of your daily activities. Always carry your plan with you on paper or electronically in case you have an unpleasant situation, so you can react quickly and know what to do next.
By the way, such a strategy can be used in everyday life as well. Spend only 30 minutes every day on your plan, writing down your feelings, plans, and ideas. Psychologists say that writing down what happens in your life will help you better organize all the moments and analyze what you can change if something goes wrong.
*Photos by Anete Lusina
