What it means to love yourself and look after yourself?
What is basic self care?
Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It's also key to a good relationship with oneself and others.
What are some examples of self care on emotional, physical, mental and spiritual level?
Workplace or professional self-care
This involves activities that help you to work consistently at the professional level expected of you. For example:
Engage in regular supervision or consulting with a more experienced colleague
Set up a peer-support group
Be strict with boundaries between clients/students and staff
Read professional journals
Attend professional development programs.
Activities that help you to stay fit and healthy, and with enough energy to get through your work and personal commitments.
Develop a regular sleep routine.
Aim for a healthy diet.
Take lunch breaks.
Go for a walk at lunchtime.
Take your dog for a walk after work.
Use your sick leave.
Get some exercise before/after work regularly.
Activities that help you to feel clear-headed and able to intellectually engage with the professional challenges that are found in your work and personal life.
Keep a reflective journal.
Seek and engage in external supervision or regularly consult with a more experienced colleague.
Engage with a non-work hobby.
Turn off your email and work phone outside of work hours.
Make time for relaxation.
Make time to engage with positive friends and family.
Allowing yourself to safely experience your full range of emotions.
Develop friendships that are supportive.
Write three good things that you did each day.
Play a sport and have a coffee together after training.
Go to the movies or do something else you enjoy.
Keep meeting with your parents' group or other social group.
Talk to you friend about how you are coping with work and life demands.
This involves having a sense of perspective beyond the day-to-day of life.
Engage in reflective practices like meditation.
Go on bush walks.
Go to church/mosque/temple.
Do yoga.
Reflect with a close friend for support.
This is about maintaining healthy, supportive relationships, and ensuring you have diversity in your relationships so that you are not only connected to work people.
Prioritise close relationships in your life e.g. with partners, family and children.
Attend the special events of your family and friends.
Arrive to work and leave on time every day.
How do you practice self care?
What are the benefits of practising self care on a daily basis?
I walk a bit. I started by just 5 minutes and today I walk about 20 minutes everyday. So that helps my health a bit.
And I stay away from social media. Gives me stress.
And I love sitting in a park on a sunny day. Love the sun falling on me.
@Actuallynobody017
I appreciate that you look after your health by taking a 20 min walk outside. It's definitely worth it! Being under the sun is quite nice. 
Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. Self-love means not settling for less than you deserve.
Self-love can mean something different for each person because we all have many different ways to take care of ourselves. Figuring out what self-love looks like for you as an individual is an important part of your mental health.
What does self-love mean to you?
For starters, it can mean:
Talking to and about yourself with love
Prioritizing yourself
Giving yourself a break from self-judgement
Trusting yourself
Being true to yourself
Being nice to yourself
Setting healthy boundaries
Forgiving yourself when you aren’t being true or nice to yourself
@AlyGalaxy
I love your comments. They sounds inspiring! Yes, Taking care of one self can mean different things for different people. And you described it all perfectly in a nutshell. To trust, be true and kind to yourself is important to do so even in challenging moments. Thank you for sharing! 
@KatLis123 I 100% agree with this post & its ways of showing yourself self love. I love to read personally. I get so captivated into what I'm reading that I almost forget what is going on around me. I don't watch the news much either. Watching how many new cases of the virus, how many dealths, how much more the unemployment has increased,etc. Its depressing to listen to that, so I chose not to. I'm a much happier & upbeat individual when avoiding so much negativity.
@jessa411
Reading, great activity and can help you relax. Im proud that you choose to be optimistic and surround yourself with positive things. It can go a long way to reduce stress and increase over all happiness.
@KatLis123 Thank you for the informative post 
How do you practice self care?
I like to do Yoga, sketching, diys, cooking, gardening for self care.
What are the benefits of practising self care on a daily basis?
Helps me to calm down while experiencing stress anxiety, etc.
@dtanushree
I am pleased you enjoyed reading my post. You're welcome! I think what you do as part of self care will help you manage your anxiety better. Keep up the good work! 
@KatLis123
How do you practice self-care?
Everyday- I do yoga. Once a day, I tell myself "I love myself, I am pretty. I am smart. I am strong. I am safe with myself. I promise to never harm myself in any way. I will not let others' judgment break me down neither I will criticize nor judge myself."
When I complete my weekly chores I make my favorite food and watch Kdrama until late and rest for a day as a reward and appreciate my hard work.
What are the benefits of practicing self-care on a daily basis?
It makes me feel loved, it makes me strong and it helps me improve myself. It stabilizes my mood swings.
@Mishi1053
Interesting comments Mish. You can tell how many wonderful benefits you can get from doing small things for yourself everyday, even to remember how amazing you are, that you are strong and confident as a person. Nothing will get you down. You seem to have a solid framework on how to lift yourself up and enjoy life to the fullest. I am really proud of you!
@KatLis123
Thank you Kat
Self-Care It’s hard with depression to stay on top of hygiene and grooming, so I shower as much as I can and wear clean clothes, pluck my eyebrows, keep my nails clipped and try to keep my teeth brushed. Doing on a daily basis, or every other day (easier for me), it helps keep a routine and feel better about myself.
