The holidays are over. Are you feeling worn out and stretched thin? Well, it’s time to make sure you are looking at your own needs before others’. Looking after yourself (self-care) will get you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever comes your way.

Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy, you can be well, you can do your job, you can help and care for others, and you can do all the things you need to and want to accomplish in a day.

Self-care includes everything related to staying healthy–including hygiene, nutrition, and seeking medical care when needed. It’s all the steps an individual can take to manage stressors in his or her life and take care of his or her own health and well-being.

There are different categories of self-care. There is Emotional Self-Care, such as self-talk, weekly bubble baths, saying “no” to things that cause unnecessary stress, giving yourself permission to take a pause, or setting up a weekly coffee date with a friend. There is Physical Self-Care, such as prioritizing sleep, adopting an exercise routine you can stick with, or choosing healthy and nourishing foods over highly processed ones. And there is Spiritual Self-Care, such as attending a religious service, spending time in nature, meditating, incorporating regular acts of kindness into your day, or keeping a gratitude journal.

Following are some things to get you started with a self-care routine. 1) Determine which activities bring you joy, replenish your energy, and restore your balance. 2) Start small by choosing one behavior you’d like to incorporate into your routine in the next week. 3) Build up to practicing that behavior every day for one week. 4) Reflect on how you feel. 5) Add more practices when ready. 6) Get support through sharing practices from loved ones, a coach, a licensed professional (like a therapist or dietitian), or through your healthcare plan, community, or workplace.

TIP: Make self-care a habit. Self-care doesn’t have to be a big event. You don’t need a whole evening with scented candles and relaxing music to practice self-care. It can be as simple as asking yourself if there is anything you need to do to look after yourself or your mental health. If you’re struggling to check in with yourself or find that you don’t have the time, try setting a calendar reminder on your phone. This can help you make time in your day to practice self-care.

Having an effective self-care routine has been shown to have a number of important health benefits. Some of these include: -Reducing anxiety and depression, -Reducing stress and improving resilience, -Improving happiness, -Increasing energy, -Reducing burnout, and -Stronger interpersonal relationships.

An effective self-care plan should be tailored to your life and your needs. It needs to be something created by you, for you. Customizing you own self-care plan can act as a preventative measure to make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed, overstressed, and burned out.

Assess which areas of your life need some more attention and self-care. And reassess your life often. As your situation changes, your self-care needs are likely to shift too.

If you are wanting to build a self-care plan and need a little help, Becky and Deb at Together We Can would be willing to help you. You can reach us at (515) 391-3233 or stop in our office at 8 W. Church St.

Becky Brown and Deb Williams are the cofounders of Together We Can, a mental health nonprofit based in Marshalltown.