7 Types Of Self-Care (And How To Practice Them For A Better Life)

The 7 types of self-care are essential for everyone. Life becomes more manageable if you take the time to work on each of these.

In this post, I talk about self-care in-depth and give practical tips to help you own your life like a boss.

Let’s face it. Time moves fast these days. And, I mean it when I say, fast.

We live in a world of technology, which has made life way easier, but also quicker things to a point where everything seems to run at the speed of light.

As a result, education is tight-scheduled for students, jobs are 9-9 rather than being just 9-5, and parents are under more pressure to raise their kids right.

In times like these, it can be easy to forget our inner and outer needs. Rather, it’s too convenient to do so.

But we all know neglecting self-care is never a good idea.

After all, the better you care for yourself, the more you can give to the world and your own life.

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care is the art of looking after your core needs and aligning them with your daily activities in a way that makes life more pleasing.

It’s a vast arena, and trying to get all of it at your fingertips can be a bit of a challenge.

I like to think of self-care as a 7 portioned meal, that best goes together when arranged on a single plate (namely, life).

In simpler terms, there are 7 types of self-care you ought to know about, and eventually start practicing for a fulfilling life.

The 7 Types Of Self-Care

The 7 areas of self-care focus on the primary aspects of your life.

Whatever constitutes your daily routine (i.e, your physique), requires a certain amount of care and attention, that only you can give to yourself. 

Here is self-care, divided into 7 categories that are somehow interrelated, yet differ from each other in many ways:

• Emotional self-care
• Physical self-care
• Social self-care
• Mental self-care
• Spiritual self-care
• Financial self-care
• Personal self-care

Liking the post so far? Pin to save for later. 🙂

This post is all about these 7 types of self-care, with practical ways to inculcate them into your life.

Hope you find this helpful.

7 Types Of Self-Care (And How To Practice Them For A Better Life)

1. Emotional Self-Care

Emotional self-care means taking mindful steps to deal with your emotions.

It’s a core type of self-care because emotions regulate a major part of our day-to-day life.

The key to finding a perfect balance is for you to control your emotions instead. And it’s a habit that takes time to be mastered.

But once you learn to confront your feelings, life becomes content and relatively simpler.

A kind piece of advice I have for you is to treat your emotions with love and care.

I understand the need to run from your emotions. I’ve done so in the past.

In fact, I still have days where I’d rather turn my back on my feelings rather than face them.

But at the end of the day, I think I understand the crucial role that emotions play in a person’s well-being.

Your emotions are always trying to tell you something. They need to be acknowledged and dealt with in kindness.

So, listen to your emotions.

Sit with them, and understand where they’re coming from. They’re a part of you and deserve nothing less than the utmost love and understanding.

A good introspection can turn anger into peace, sadness into stillness, and loneliness into contentment.

It’s just a matter of how willing you are to know yourself.

Tips To Practice Emotional Self-Care

• Learn to acknowledge and recognize your emotions
• Be grateful for positive days, and kind on low days
• Target the root cause of negative emotions
• Let go of things you can’t control
• Practice breathing exercises
• Journal your emotions (both positive and negative)
• Have regular meaningful conversations with a friend
• Channel your negative emotions into a workout
• Share your emotions with your pet (play with them, cuddle, teach them tricks)
• Have music playlists for every kind of mood

To become a pro at handling your emotions, learn how to master your emotional self-care using 12 simple ways.

2. Physical Self-Care

Every body-care activity falls under the beautiful realm of physical self-care.

Caring for your body means being in tune with its needs, and indulging in activities that make you physically thrive.

It makes you more confident and nurtures your overall health.

Considering your body is a sacred vessel containing all of you, I’d say this is the most important self-care you need to focus on.

I highly recommend you check out my Healthy Living Archives.

It is the foremost category of Plum Healthy Fine and has many helpful posts on physical self-care.

Here are some practical ways for you to look after your body on a daily basis.

Tips To Practice Physical Self-Care

• Start your day with a glass of warm water
• Have a fulfilling breakfast
• Walk for at least 30 minutes a day
• Don’t skip your meals
• One cup of green tea every day
• Exercise every day (really important to flush the toxins from your body)
• Eat healthy food often
• Drink plenty of water
• Get 8 hours of sleep every night
• Like organizing? Consider keeping a health journal
• Nurture a positive body image

A post I think you’ll love: How To Attain An Ultimate Body Wellness

3. Social Self-Care

Social self-care is how you connect to people.

It means finding new friends, cherishing the ones you have, and showing care for your family by spending time with them.

The people in your life should never be undervalued. For this, it’s important to truly realize the role they play in your wellness.

You need people to express yourself, share your joy and sorrow with, and have conversations that make you self-aware.

Life is easier when you have a group to seek comfort and celebrate your achievements with.

Your circle of people should be important to you, and you need to make sure they know about it. Everyone you care about falls into this circle.

Here are some ways for you to manage your social circle.

Tips To Practice Social Self-Care

• Consider welcoming a furry friend to your family
• Face-time your long-distance friends
• Go out for coffee with a friend you haven’t seen in a while
• Meet your best friend once a week
• Make efforts to bond with your colleagues
• Organize cozy tea parties
• Go for walks with a friend
• Watch movies with family on the weekend
• Make sure to see your loved ones during the holidays
• Set birthday reminders, and wish your friends every year right on the dot

Something you might like: 7 Authentic Reasons To Stop Feeling Guilty About Self-Care

4. Mental Self-Care

This type of self-care revolves around your mental well-being.

It’s how you look after your mind, by doing activities that keep your thoughts in check and fill you with positivity.

The primary adjective of mental self-care is to keep yourself as stress-free as possible.

This is important because stress can be really exhausting to deal with.

And the worrisome part is that it becomes a habit after a point, rather than a state of mind.

By taking active steps toward your mental well-being, you take charge of your mind and prevent unwelcome thoughts.

Your mental response to problems becomes sharper, as you learn to face challenges in a calm state of mind.

This makes it easier for you to navigate through hurdles.

To achieve this healthy state of life, it’s necessary to master some tips to declutter your mind.

Tips To Practice Mental Self-Care

• Start your morning with a positive affirmation
• Set clear intentions for your day
• Smile at yourself in the mirror (you deserve it)
• Have a tea-calming session every evening
• Don’t allow stress to rule your mind
• Do what makes you happy
• Avoid overthinking
• Practice yoga once a week
• Do one relaxing activity every day
• Keep a wellness journal

You’ll love reading: Little Things In Life That Can Make You Happy

5. Spiritual Self-Care

Body, mind, and soul. The three pillars that make you who you are.

While body and mind often work at the forefront, your soul stays inside you, constituting your core.

Because of its hidden and sacred nature, it is often neglected.

That’s where spiritual self-care comes in.

It comprises activities (rituals, even) that can help you connect with your higher self.

A version of you that’s not intimidated by external factors and can help you shift your life in an upward direction.

Trust me when I say this, your soul is a goldmine waiting to be explored. And spiritual self-care might just be the key to unlocking it.

Here are some basic practical tips that can help you get started with the process.

Tips To Practice Spiritual Self-Care

• Meditate (even 5 minutes can do wonders)
• Fall asleep to binaural beats (try sleep hypnosis for deeper sleep)
• Get to know yourself by keeping a regular journal
• Have self-introspection sessions
• Strike deep conversations with someone
• Read books that make you think
• Try your hand at tarot cards, and see if anything about it interests you
• Keep yourself open to new experiences
• Listen to inspiring podcasts and read spiritual books
• Connect with nature (take solo hikes, sit under a tree, watch the sky)

Bookmark for later: 51 Best Solo Date Ideas To Make You Love Yourself

6. Financial Self-Care

Money can’t buy you happiness, but it sure needs to be cared for on some level.

It’s our means of living, and without proper budgeting and balancing, things can get a bit trickier.

Financial self-care is all about looking after your money, and planning how to spend it, depending on your lifestyle.

How you choose to spend money should align with your core values.

If you’re someone who believes in simplicity, then that should be your approach to buying things and keeping them.

If aesthetics appeal to you, then it would make sense for you to spend a certain amount on pleasing things per month.

Basically, spend your money in places and on things that call out to you. But always prioritize basic necessities over everything else.

In a nutshell, here are some financial self-care habits you might like.

Tips To Practice Financial Self-Care

• Prepare a budget at the beginning of the month, and stick as close to it as possible
• Regularly check your bank account balance
• Prioritize basic necessities (groceries, bills, rent, tuition, clothes)
• Indulge in things that matter to you, but avoid unnecessary shopping
• Journal your finances
• Make small donations to causes you care about
• Learn about budgeting (check out my go-to blogger Finnsavvy Panda)
• Buy online courses for skills you want to master (save time this way, it’s more precious than a few bucks that you might spend on a month’s coffee)
• Set challenging money goals
• Have a retirement plan

Highly recommended: 11 Beautiful Ways To Change Your Mindset For Healthy Living

7. Personal Self-Care

Personal self-care includes taking care of your personal space (home, work, your room), being up-to-date with all chores, and scheduling and organizing your tasks.

It’s basically how you make space for the other 6 types of self-care.

The activities that form personal self-care, are actually your daily habits that involve organizing and decluttering.

It can make life more manageable, and hence, should be given proper time.

I have a few tips to help you manage it all.

Tips To Practice Personal Self-Care

• Clean your living space
• Don’t procrastinate laundry (it’ll keep piling and cause you stress)
• Have a pleasant working desk (organize it according to your taste)
• Own a bookshelf (even a small one is great to have)
• Invest in a daily planner and see if it works for you
• Have some ‘me time‘ every day
• Prioritize your daily goals, everything else can wait till you’re done
• Plan your meals in advance
• Organize your emails, and respond to important ones
• Set your phone to ‘Do Not Disturb’ after working hours
• Lay out your clothes for the next day

All of these habits might take time to build, but they can be extremely fulfilling in the long term.

Practice These 7 Types Of Self-Care

And you’ll get rewarded in the sweetest ways. 

Because the more you work on yourself, the more you get in return.

The self-care areas you need to focus on are emotional, physical, social, mental, spiritual, financial, and personal.

You’ll need to put in some effort in the beginning. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for life-changing habits.

But with time, all of these 7 types of self-care can become a seamless part of your life.

The process will be immensely gratifying, and the reward is well worth the wait.

Have any thoughts? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you.