My Pyramid of Self-Care Needs

Hi there lovely humans! It feels like the year so far is just flying by and I hope you’re all doing well and taking care of yourselves. The last few months have been so good. I’ve really made my mental health a priority and the changes I see in myself and in my life have been really lovely.

I think I talked about this regarding self-care, but making your mental health a priority is not just a one-and-done type of thing. A decade ago, making my mental health a priority meant learning how to exist in a space that wasn’t in mood extremes. It was a lot of work. I journaled and researched coping skills and tried everything that I could to learn how to understand my emotions so I wasn’t constantly exploding.

Now, focusing on my mental health (and self-care) just looks like making time in the day to enjoy my life and switching from a surviving mindset (I must work all of the time) to a thriving mindset – which is easier said than done! I’m working on it.

Yesterday I created this Self-Care Pyramid.

When I was creating the Self-Care Checklists a few months ago, I realized how hard it can be to define self-care, especially because it looks different for everyone. Self-care is essential for our mental and physical well-being but what that means to you is probably a little different than what it means to me. Self-care is not always in-the-moment things that help us feel good but a whole system that supports our well-being.

I created the self-care pyramid to show a very general outline of what self-care can look like! From treating ourselves to a day of pampering, setting aside time for family activities, to planning weekly check-ins with friends, setting financial goals for the month, and dedicating even just an hour for ourselves.