The good news is that self-care can be pretty simple and it’s easy to start. Anything that contributes to your overall well-being and quality of life is self-care, and that can run the gamut from leisurely to exhilarating. Gentle feel-good activities, like steeping tea, meditating, and journaling, and more active pursuits, like pottery classes, running, and cleaning, can all be considered self-care if they’re done with a sense of purpose. “Intention is really important,” Dr. Simoné Jalon-Main, the founding psychologist of SJM Psychology, LLC and former staff psychologist at Georgetown University School of Medicine says. Something like showering doesn’t always feel like self-care, but it can be restorative if you make it a deliberate act of self-care. “When I want to decompress, I’ll take a longer shower, and I will play my favorite music, light a candle—do something that brings a little more joy,” she says. “And I make the intention: I’m doing this in order to take care of myself.” Many tend to focus on some of the more obvious acts of care, like exercise or sleep, but they could be overlooking some other important areas of their lives. “When you look at the research, there are seven big overarching categories: physical, emotional, spiritual, professional, social, financial, and psychological,” she says. “Those can all be a great place to start.” The next thing to consider: How often do we need to practice self-care? Daily is ideal, but that’s not always practical. You can slowly ramp up your routine over time, and start with one small thing today and then incorporate another next week. But Jalon-Main suggests a mix of both preventative practices and reactive activities, and adding in more as needed, like after a particularly stressful week at work. Incorporating more self-care into your life doesn’t have to be complicated. “Think back to things that have helped you feel connected and at peace,” she says. And if you need some ideas, ask your friends about their go-tos, or read on for some Real Simple editor-loved suggestions.
