Meaningful Self-Care
Self-care. It’s not all pretty pink face masks and bubble baths. It can be, that’s totally okay. But I think this over-glamorised version of self-care can cast a negative or narrowed light on the subject. Many people look at this type of self-care and think self-care is egocentric, vain and superfluous. But when I think about what is at the core of self-care, it’s nourishment. And I don’t think that’s egocentric, vain or superfluous.
Nourishment. Noun. “The food necessary for growth, health and good condition.”
I think it’s time we started looking at self-care as a form of nourishment for our bodies and minds. It is necessary for growth, health and good condition – aka our wellbeing. Now that I’ve got you thinking about self-care as nourishment, I want to bring your attention to sensory self-care. The basic idea behind sensory self-care is the link between our neurological senses; taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing and our emotions. This link is known as conceptual association. Our senses help us explore and navigate our worlds, but they also have vital roles in our emotional wellbeing. Let’s explore this.
TOUCH
Ah, skin. It can be so easy to get caught up in the appearance of our skin, but, it’s important to remember that our skin is our biggest organ. Because our skin covers our whole body, it is always in contact with something. Naturally, we tune most of these sensory messages out. But it may be worth becoming more conscious about through touch self-care.
Touch self-care can be done many different ways. For example, certain fabrics might make your skin feel good - and as we know, this is linked to us feeling good emotionally too. For me, I like using a satin pillow case as I like the cool feeling on my face as I sleep.
Another way to practice touch self-care could be through massage. Focusing on feeling the tension leave your body during a massage appointment is a great way to calm your body and mind. If either of these don’t suit you, you could also try something as simple as a hug from a loved one.
TASTE
Yay snacks. Food and drink are a really easy way to incorporate sensory self-care. One way taste self-care can improve your mood and wellbeing is through stimulating a memory (in your insular cortex and hippocampus).
For example, you could try eating or drinking something that you associate with a positive memory such as a food you would eat on holidays or from the school tuck shop. This will bring back a nostalgic happiness that you may not have felt in a while. Another option is to give into comfort food – on occasion. While yes, you don’t want to have unhealthy, fun foods every time you’ve had a bad day, it can be a great form of stress relief and self-soothing once in a while. For others, taste self-care might be trying to consciously eat more healthy foods. This is nourishment in its purest form and has so many benefits for your physical, mental and emotional health.
SMELL
Smell. One of my favourites (I’m a little partial to a scented candle). Smell self-care works by receptors in your nose sending messages to your brain (specifically the limbic system, which controls emotions) which can help elevate mood. Aromatherapy is a type of smell self-care and is thought to help reduce anxiety and depression and improve sleep. When practicing aromatherapy self-care, you could use a scented candle, essential oils or fresh flowers. Try and focus on your inhalation and exhalation. As you breathe, take note of how the smell is affecting your mood; is it relaxing you or reducing some tension and stress? The best part about aromatherapy is that you can incorporate it at work, in the car or at home.
SIGHT
Sight. Sight self-care is pretty amazing; it can help distract you from your worries, it can be a tool for self-soothing and it can help you delve into another world.
One way to incorporate sight self-care is to look at old photographs. Looking through old photographs can remind you of memories you may have forgotten about entirely. This nostalgic feeling can boost mood and wellbeing.
Another option is reading a novel. When we read our brains focus on processing the words which leads to our own thoughts and anxieties taking a back seat cognitively. Plus, if you’re an imaginative person like me, you will know how powerful immersing yourself into a story can be. This momentary jump from reality into the story can help switch off any negative thoughts or emotions for a while which we all need from time to time.
Sight self-care is probably the biggest category and some other ideas could include looking at art, watching a ballet, drawing, painting or watching a movie.
HEARING
Hearing. I think listening is the better word here. After all, we all hear hundreds of sounds a day, but how many do you consciously listen to?
One way to start practicing listening self-care is listening to one sound consciously. Yes, one sound. It’s called mindfulness. You can do this anywhere – at your work desk, the gym, in the shower… anywhere. In basic terms, mindfulness is about focusing on one stimulus (in this case a sound) consciously for a period of time. For example, if you are lying in bed, focus on the sound of the fan. Every time your mind wanders bring it back to focusing on the fan. This helps center and calm your mind. Another option is listening to music. The act of
listening to music (any genre) has been linked with lessening depression and anxiety. Listening to music causes your brain to focus on processing the sounds and in turn, your thoughts and stresses begin to fade out and your mind can relax. Sensory self-care is one way to focus on nourishing your mind and body. Our emotions and senses are intrinsically linked neurologically and learning how to pay attention to and care for this association is important for your mental and emotional wellbeing. Self-care isn’t selfish. It isn’t vain. It can be small changes. It can be big changes. It could be face masks. It could be candles. It could be reading. It could be eating.
Self-care is nourishment.
It is important.