holistic self care: tending to all layers of you.
A huge passion of mine is reminding therapists and healers that self-care is an essential part of what we do. In order to show up and be fully present for our communities, we must fill our cups daily, so that we can serve from a place of overflow.
Thankfully self-care has become a popular topic of discussion over the last several years, and I’m so happy to see more of us understanding the importance of self-care; especially us in the mental health and healing space! However, as self-care becomes a more common term, we tend to only understand it on a surface level.
When you think about self-care, what comes to mind? I know for most of us the first things we think of are taking a bubble bath or spa day, doing yoga, or treating yourself to something indulgent.
I want us to remember that our “self” is more than just the physical. So when we think about caring for ourselves, what if we considered ALL the layers that make us who we are?
Using an adaptation of the Kosha Model, I view these 5 layers as the aspects that make us whole:
Our physical body, mental/emotional, energetic, spiritual, and communal.
Self-care is so much more than simply tending to our body by getting proper rest or exercising. Those things are super important! But we must also tend to our mental health, our emotional life, our energy centers, our spiritual connection, and our connections with others. ALL of these layers play an essential part in our holistic well being.
Next time you set your self-care intentions, I encourage you to take the time to consider all 5 of those layers, and ask yourself, “How can I tend to this layer of myself?”
To help you get a little more clear on what your unique self-care practice can look like, I created this free Holistic Self Care worksheet! This worksheet will guide you through the 5 layers of self and prompt you to write down ways that you can tend to each of those layers in a way that feels good and is authentic to you.
Click here to download your worksheet!
Sending you lots of love on your holistic self care journey,
LeNaya