I speak to so many people who tell me that they struggle to prioritise their wellbeing and self-care around their modern-day, busy lifestyles. While, on the flip side, I find there are also lots of people who end up overly focused on these areas leading to feelings of constant self-improvement or the quest for never-ending ‘healing’.
So, this month, we’re focusing on selfcare. In this first blog post of the series, I want to start off by exploring the definitions of wellbeing and self-care.
I often begin my talks on this topic asking participants for their personal definitions before sharing my own and the diverse answers I receive always spark intriguing discussions…
Pause here for a moment and consider your definitions of ‘wellbeing’ and ‘self-care’ before moving on, if you can write them down, even better!
Defining Wellbeing
In basic terms, wellbeing can be viewed as a ‘state’ of being, where the body maintains homeostasis – this means, equilibrium between the interdependent elements of your mental, emotional, and physical health.
However, a few years ago, I came across an article by Liz Hilton Segal, a managing partner at McKinsey in North America, who offered a refreshing perspective on wellbeing that I’ve since quoted in many of my talks:
“Wellbeing as a skill is a daily intention that can be enhanced by elements including sleep, exercise, nutrition, community belonging, meditation a spiritual connection, and more.”
What’s important to emphasise is to view ‘wellbeing’ as a skill we can continually develop. This development can happen through self-education and/or working with trained professionals, such as coaches, nutritionists or personal trainers. But it’s also very much about cultivating the ‘skill’ of listening to your body because it communicates to you through symptoms – therefore, the better we understand our body, the better we can support our wellbeing and adapt to our body’s ever-changing needs.
The second important part of this definition is that the continual building of the skill must be met with daily intention. This means we are proactively engaging in practices that support our health, both in our regular routines and by anticipating upcoming challenges or stressors and then planning things in advance to best support ourselves through those times.
Understanding Self-Care
The term ‘self-care’ is often seen as indulgent and associated with activities like bubble baths, massages, or facials. While these kinds of things do fall under self-care if they make you feel good, its scope is far more profound:
Self-care is the act of managing your physical, psychological, emotional, social, financial, and spiritual wellness.
Each of these aspects plays a crucial role in your overall wellbeing, and it’s your job to care for yourself in these areas. Now, I’m not saying it’s always easy, but the point is to take full personal responsibility for all of these areas and to do your best to maintain them to a good standard.
(Re)defining Wellbeing & Self-Care
The goal of this first blog post is to have you consider these definitions and reflect on how they resonate with you – Have they changed your perspective on wellbeing and self-care at all?
After sharing these definitions in my talks and workshops, many people I’ve spoken to, have felt empowered by the shift to view wellbeing as a skill they can nurture over time, rather than an elusive, perfect state to try and attain. As for self-care, it’s clear that caring for our ‘self’ and every facet of our lives is essential for good health and wellbeing.
I hope this post has given you some food for thought! Next week, I’ll be answering a reader’s question about overcoming their personal challenges in practising good self-care around their hectic lifestyle!
Kate x
