The 7 Pillars of Self-Care and How To Use Them
The seven core principles of self-care work together to bring a sense of wholeness to your life. I previously wrote about the five dimensions of self-care in this post. Still, I've added two other elements because I felt like they were missing from the original list: recreational and environmental.
Pillar 1
Knowledge & Health literacy – includes individuals' capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
Pillar 2
Mental well-being, Self-awareness & Agency – includes: knowing your body mass index (BMI), cholesterol level, and blood pressure; engaging in health screening.
Pillar 3
Physical activity – practicing moderate-intensity physical activity such as walking, cycling, or participating in sports at a desirable frequency.
Pillar 4
Healthy eating – includes: having a nutritious, balanced diet with appropriate levels of calorie intake.
Pillar 5
Risk avoidance or mitigation – includes: quitting tobacco, limiting alcohol use, getting vaccinated, practicing safe sex, and using sunscreens.
Pillar 6
Good hygiene – includes: washing hands regularly, brushing teeth, and washing food.
Pillar 7
Rational and responsible use of products, services, diagnostics, and medicines – includes: being aware of dangers and using responsibly when necessary.
How To Use The 7 Pillars of Self-Care
Seeing this list might feel overwhelming. You might think you have to find a perfect balance between them all. You don't need to focus on finding an ideal balance between them all. Instead, you might need to focus on one area for a day, a week, or maybe even a month. When you're ready, you can focus on others.
What's most important is noticing which area needs attention so that it doesn't start dragging the other areas down.
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