Self-care may sound like an indulgent day of relaxing by the pool sipping lemonade, but it’s vital to our well-being. This act of self-love includes everything from mental health to financial security.
Self-care for trauma survivors supports long term health and wellbeing as they navigate the healing journey. I welcome you to explore these 8 areas of self-care and how to include more care into your daily routine after trauma.
What Is Self-Care?
Self-care may seem like activities meant for luxury, but it’s actually vital to your longevity and quality of life.
According to the World Health Organization,
“Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote their own health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.”
Self-care is about honoring your health and well-being. This study estimates patients only spend 0.01% of our time a year with healthcare professionals. The rest is on us to make sure we keep our stress levels low, seek help when we need it, and stay healthy.
Self-care is not selfish. In dark times, it’s the strongest act of self-love.
The Eight Areas of Self-Care:
It’s important to know the different areas of self-care to avoid overwhelm and have the best chance of developing a successful self-care plan. I welcome you to take your time as you read these, knowing it’s okay if you’re not doing all of these perfectly – none of us are.
It’s about awareness and possibly seeing where you can focus your attention. Even if your goal is to explore self-care for trauma, these areas are still beneficial to help ease stress surrounding your healing.
Physical
Physical self-care is anything to care for your physical body. This may include:
- Proper sleep
- A healthy diet and proper hydration
- Physical exercise (running, hiking, yoga)
- Maintaining healthy hygiene habits
- Seeking emergency care
Emotional
Emotional self-care is important to managing stress, understanding your emotions (and emotions of others.) Activities to strengthen this area may include:
- Setting boundaries
- Journaling
- Practicing compassion toward others
- Allowing guilt-free rest
Personal/Mental
Personal or mental self-care includes activities you find stress relieving, grounding, or bring you to the present moment. This could be:
- Practicing mindfulness
- Reaching personal goals
- Spending time on hobbies
- Sparking your creativity
- Limiting screen time
For a list of supportive mental health resources, I invite you to explore my Survivor Support Page.
Social
Social self-care is important for feeling connected and gaining a sense of belonging. This includes:
- Spending time with friends and family
- Exploring professional support
- Instilling healthy boundaries
Professional
Professional self-care is about creating a meaningful, low-stress work environment. Ways to improve this area are:
- Taking breaks
- Proper time management
- Organization
- Feeling appreciated at work
- Setting healthy boundaries with work loads
Environmental
Environmental self-care is where we spend most of our time, like our homes and place of work. Ensure your environment is:
- Safe
- Healthy
- Organized
- Stable
Spiritual
Spirituality connects us to a higher purpose. This can be a religious preference or a connection with something other than yourself. Ways to strengthen spiritual self-care are:
- Meditation
- Spending time in nature
- Retreats
- Journaling
- Yoga
Financial
Financial self-care is important for stress management and creating a sense of security. Ways to improve this area are:
- Organization
- Budgeting
- Savings
- Responsible investments
This list may seem overwhelming, but you’re probably already doing a lot of these already. It’s not about being perfect, but about creating balance. I welcome you to do what you can and know that any amount of self-care is enough.
Self-Care Important Factors
It’s important to note that self-care isn’t the same for everyone. Similar to healing from trauma, prioritizing self-care is a nonlinear journey. There are other factors to consider, like:
- Culture
- Poverty
- Disabilities
- Health
- Location
It’s okay if some of the self-care items listed above aren’t available to you. This is a generalized list, so it’s important to cater to what works for your goals.
Yoga for Self-Care
A supportive way you can care for yourself is to explore gentle yoga. If you’ve survived trauma, you may wish to explore yoga that honors your nervous system and preferences.
These 6 Pillars of Trauma-Informed Yoga explore how this style of teaching is different from traditional versions, how it supports sexual trauma healing, and guidance to see if this would be a supportive fit for you.
Below lists a few ways that trauma-informed yoga supports a self-care plan.
Deepens Self-Compassion
Being kind to ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves when healing trauma. This journey isn’t easy and often comes with many waves, and offering ourselves compassion is how we can support ourselves.
I welcome you to explore these 25 Quotes for Self-Compassion or begin practicing trauma-informed yoga with this Yoga for Self-Compassion Class.
Supports Boundary Work
There is a lot of mention in the online space about boundaries and people pleasing. I offer a gentle reminder that a lack of boundaries is not what caused your trauma.
Trauma-informed yoga supports creating boundaries by giving you time and space to learn what you like and don’t like. Survivors may not know their preferences, and setting boundaries comes with an understanding of these preferences.
Slowly, practices allow you to learn what is truly a “yes” or “no” for you, so you can begin to set boundaries that feel aligned.
If you’re sensitive in nature and would like to explore more about setting boundaries after trauma, I welcome you to explore this guide to Setting Boundaries as a Sensitive Survivor.
Allows Supportive Rest
Trauma-informed yoga allows moments for deep, supportive rest in a way that feels best for your body. Not all survivors are comfortable with stillness, and this practice honors this. Resting is how we can allow our bodies and minds to recharge, and can support our nervous systems as sends a signal that we can finally settle.
I welcome you to learn more about your survival responses in this Nervous System Guide and gentle ways you can Find Deep Rest After Trauma in a way that feels supportive in your body.
Releases Stored Tension
Part of self-care is physical health, and a common experience after trauma is to notice more stored tension in your body. This can be due to many factors, but one reason is from constantly bracing from being on higher alert after trauma.
Trauma-informed yoga provides gentle classes to release tension so you feel more comfortable in your body and have less unexplained tension. If you’d like to learn more about how tension and trauma are connected, I invite you to learn more in my guide to How Trauma Becomes Stored In Your Body.
Exploring Self-Care Routines and Ideas
I welcome you to explore my list of gentle, holistic self-care ideas if you’re unsure how to add more self care into your routine.
- Sunday Self-Care Routine
- 15 Easy Rainy Day Self-Care Ideas
- 15 Self-Care New Year’s Resolutions
- 15 Holistic 5-Minute Self-Care Ideas
For adding more comfort to an existing yoga practice, you might enjoy these 6 Teas To Drink Before Yoga.
Creating A Lifestyle Centered on Self-Care
Self-care for trauma isn’t about indulging in selfish acts. It’s about taking care of your body, mind, spirit, and life. When you take good care of yourself, you show yourself love.
For those who have experienced trauma, this can sometimes feel impossible. If you keep showing up, doing just the tiniest acts of care (like brushing your teeth), you show yourself that you’re worth it, because you are.
Self-care is not selfish. In dark times, it’s the strongest act of self-love.
If you’d like to explore how embracing more slowness can accompany your self-care journey, I invite you to learn How Slow Living Supports Trauma Survivors.
