Understanding the 7 Pillars of Self Care, and How to Make Sure You are Taking Care of Them

When it comes to growing in your self-love journey, it can seem like you have so much to do and nowhere to start. By understanding the 7 pillars of self-care, not only can it help you identify where you need to be working, but it can also give you the clarity you have been looking for. I’m breaking down the 7 pillars of self-care and how they fit into your ideal life, plus some tips to help you enhance each of them.

Emotional Wellness

Your emotional wellness boils down to most of your internal feelings. How you cope with different situations, the amount of stress you are experiencing, and even your behavior. If you are someone who may not be able to keep your emotions in check, you may be dealing with a deficiency in your emotional wellness. Another sign that you may be out of balance is if you find yourself stuck on the past and unable to grow.

The best way to improve your emotional wellness is by taking a hard look inside of yourself. Where are you struggling? Are you someone who says whatever comes to their mind without thought? Whenever I am feeling stressed or unable to handle my emotions, I take to my journal and write down everything I am feeling. Even if it is hard to do, it will help you understand why you are feeling the way you are, and you will see a path on how you can fix it as well.

Spiritual Wellness

When most of us think of spirituality, we think of it being based on religion. If you are a religious person, the idea of being part of a higher design may help you feel more secure in your life. Spiritual wellness is one of the most essential 7 pillars of self-care because it includes our beliefs, our values, and even our sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Most of us have morals, values, or beliefs that we have had since we were younger. It is essential to realize that what was important to us five years ago may no longer be relevant to who we are right now. Take the time to audit your beliefs and values right now. Write them down and make sure what you think still aligns with how you feel. If not, explore more religions, studies, or even cultures to find a balance in your spiritual wellness.

Social Wellness

Social wellness is exactly what you think of it is, and it is probably one of the most neglected aspects of the 7 pillars of self-care. This pillar is all about our connections with others and how we are communicating. Social wellness can get thrown off by how we are speaking about other people, and even who we are spending time with. If someone is just focusing on the negatives of others, that is the kind of attraction they are creating.

Take a look at who you are spending your time with and what you are doing during that period. If your actions are not aligning with who you want to be, then you need to make some changes! You can also ask friends and family about the communication you are having. Maybe you are not present enough for them or yourself. Setting healthy boundaries is also an essential part of this pillar!

Occupational Wellness

While occupational wellness sounds like it is strictly work-related, there is so much more to it than just having a good cubicle, or liking your coworkers. Occupational wellness also encompasses the idea of having a purpose, meaning, or feeling fulfilled. For those who are students or work from home, this could be achieving goals, or finding success in your activities.

One of the most common blockages for occupational wellness is creating the wrong goals. While you would love to make 1 million dollars this year, as a student fresh out of college, that is difficult to do. You should be creating goals that are not only achievable but goals that you can track and measure. It will help you stay focused on the bigger goal, and act as motivation along the way. This strategy can also be used at your job or for more general purposes as well.

Intellectual Wellness

Your intellectual wellness is represented by your ability to grow in your own journey, how you listen and question the world around you. You can also sort observations, your willingness to learn, and how present and active you are in your daily life. Your ability to look at the world around you with an open mind and understanding of others is also an essential part of your intellectual wellness.

One of the easiest ways to enhance your intellectual wellness is to make sure that you are constantly improving yourself. This can be through self-reflection, continuing to learn new things, or even just listening and observing the world around you. Something that I have done this year is to invest in Skillshare so that I am constantly learning!

Physical Wellness

When you think of self-care, you are probably thinking about how we take care of ourselves physically. A lot of self-care has been focused on taking care of our appearance. While that is true, there is more to physical wellness than just taking a bubble bath. The physical wellness pillar also encompasses our health, abilities, and life balance.

Don’t get me wrong, you should be taking care of your outer self. Hygiene and physical appearance mean a lot to some people. Just like you take care of your hair or nails, make sure you are taking care of your body internally. Make sure you are drinking enough water. Figure out if you have any food sensitivities. You should also make sure you are moving your body every single day!

Digital Wellness

Alright, I’ll admit…this is not one of the original pillars. I added this one to my own personal self-care pillars because I think it is important! So many of us are active online in some way. There is so much stress that comes from social media and the internet, it is wild. You do not have to impress people on the internet. You should also not be feeling bad because your life is different. If anyone is making you feel bad, it is free to unfollow them!

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