Let’s Get Real About Self-care

04.1.2021

It’s time to get real about what it means to self-care.

We are used to seeing the consumer version of self-care in the media but actual self-care has little to do with salt Baths, candles, chocolates, or “treating ourselves to something nice” and a lot to do with listening to the body, making long-term health & wellness decisions, bravely letting go, setting brave boundaries, re-strategizing, and being honest with ourselves and others about what we really need.

Self-care is about caring for the self. 

It can become messy and bring up old issues of self-worth and limiting beliefs,
AND it can also be a political act of defining traditional gender roles and standing up against oppression.​​

For those reasons, coaching people on self-care needs to be done in a profound, grounded, and practical way with as little BS as possible. It needs to be customized to the client because there is no “one size fits all”.


Medical Coaching addresses self-care 0n 5 levels of needs:  

• Health Needs – addressing the current medical or health challenges the client is facing (this includes stress-related issues). If you are a Health, wellness, or Medical coach, this includes medical care and adherence to medication. 
  
  
• Physical Needs – listening to the body’s needs regarding nutrition, hydration, rest, movement, and touch. 
  
  
• Emotional needs –addressing issues of love, acceptance, authenticity, connection, and self-expression.
  
  
• Spiritual needs –addressing vision, purpose, connection to a higher self, intuition, and creativity.
  
  
• Social needs – addressing relationships, connection, boundaries, communication, and support.

5 important thing to remember about self-care:

1. Many people have an idea from the media about the “right way” to self-care and already feel they are failing at it.
2. Trying to do self-care “the right way” can become a stressor.
3. Self-care is not selfish and it is not selfless – it is SELF LOVE.
4. Practicing self-care means caring for your dependents and your loved ones
5. Self-care can save your life!