Make a Self-Care Plan for Your Golden Years
Quality Life Forum Self-Care Series
March 2021
We have learned the value of health from the pandemic and cannot take personal health as granted. Knowing self-care practice is essential to promote well-being, where to start? let’s make a plan. What is self-care? It is conscious acts in order to promote personal health. A self-care plan is created to improve your overall well-being and maintain your health in the long term.
A self-care plan covers the four key areas of life in physical, emotional, spiritual and psycho-social. Financial and professional domains can be included as well. Plan your self-care in a way that honors yourself fully and also to be practical. It's imperative that each domain in your life are given separate space and with a whole attention. Self-care can’t be one-size-fits-all, but customized to personal needs based on life stages. Reassess your life and making updates to enrich your golden years.
Physical Self-Care
Let’s start small from the basics and focus on physical care to begin. Eventually, other dimensions can be built on one module at a time. The first step in making your self-care plan is to create a list of the things based on your personal value and need as part of your day-to-day life, also include the things beyond daily basis, but enjoyable or satisfying.
A sample break down check list including but not limit to the following -
Boundaries
Set and honor boundaries is an important aspect of your self-care plan. Boundaries are essential to a healthy life. Having healthy boundaries means “knowing and understanding what your limits are”. Boundaries are the invisible lines that define what you will and will not tolerate from yourself and others. You will need to make up these rules based on your needs. Define your limits and learn to say “no” to negative influences, such as conquer cravings and indulgence.
Commit to action and consistency
Action is what counts and consistency is key. While the plan is not complicated, but surprisingly to see how many individuals neglect, forget, or refuse to prioritize and allocate time specifically for self-care.
Support
You don’t have to be alone and support is essential for success. Whether it’s a support group, church, counseling, coaching or good friends. Consider seeking support from resources is also beneficial. Be sure to set boundaries and stay away from negative influences, use trustworthy resources and engage with healthy friends/social media environment.
Everyone faces challenges, and letting them build up can lead to burnout and stress. Make self-care a priority. For serious individuals, coaching and counseling makes up an important part of self-care. Working through personalized self-care plan with a professional can keep you motivated for goal achievement and help you to deal with boundaries as well as setbacks. If you feel overwhelmed for any reason, health coaching provides a space to explore coping strategies and talk through anything on your mind. Contact Qualitylifeforum@outlook.com for a free call to start your self-care plan.
© All rights reserved
Disclaimer: This information is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional for personal conditions.
A self-care plan covers the four key areas of life in physical, emotional, spiritual and psycho-social. Financial and professional domains can be included as well. Plan your self-care in a way that honors yourself fully and also to be practical. It's imperative that each domain in your life are given separate space and with a whole attention. Self-care can’t be one-size-fits-all, but customized to personal needs based on life stages. Reassess your life and making updates to enrich your golden years.
Physical Self-Care
Let’s start small from the basics and focus on physical care to begin. Eventually, other dimensions can be built on one module at a time. The first step in making your self-care plan is to create a list of the things based on your personal value and need as part of your day-to-day life, also include the things beyond daily basis, but enjoyable or satisfying.
A sample break down check list including but not limit to the following -
- Sleep hygiene (i.e., timing, quality and quantity, personal circadian rhythm)
- Oral hygiene and skin care (i.e., teeth brushing, flossing, shower/bath and skin care routine)
- Health care (i.e., preventives: vaccinations for coronavirus, pneumonia, flu, shingles, routine physicals, lab tests, dental, eye, GYN, GI, and specialist visits/follow-ups)
- Nutrition (i.e., under and over nutrition, nutrient quality, food quantity)
- Exercise routine (i.e., frequency, duration, intensity) and activities (i.e., cardio, strength, flexibility, balance) and active life style (i.e., gardening, hiking in nature, bird watching, fishing)
- Weight management (i.e., healthy weight definition, feeding time and frequency, portion control, relationship with foods, eating behavior, challenge weight loss plateau)
- Management of chronic conditions, if applicable (i.e., hypertension, diabetes, insomnia, osteoporosis)
- Stress reduction (i.e., mindset self-regulation, relaxation skills, comfort zone, emotions awareness and processing)
- Cognitive health (i.e., Keep your mind active and sharp, play games and /or musical instruments, practice critical thinking skills, learning something new, reading, improve concentration, cultivate hobbies)
Boundaries
Set and honor boundaries is an important aspect of your self-care plan. Boundaries are essential to a healthy life. Having healthy boundaries means “knowing and understanding what your limits are”. Boundaries are the invisible lines that define what you will and will not tolerate from yourself and others. You will need to make up these rules based on your needs. Define your limits and learn to say “no” to negative influences, such as conquer cravings and indulgence.
Commit to action and consistency
Action is what counts and consistency is key. While the plan is not complicated, but surprisingly to see how many individuals neglect, forget, or refuse to prioritize and allocate time specifically for self-care.
- Self-care plan must be transformed into actions. When it comes to self-care, it's the little things that add up and make a difference in the long run. Create more time for yourself and make the most of it. Make the little things work by starting small. For example, if you can’t do an hour for workout, break it down to 30 minutes short sessions or 15 minutes quick variation exercise for cardio, strength, flexibility, balance. By the end of the day, your fitness target of one hour a day is still achievable.
- You have made a self-care plan. Act now and carry it out consistently. Most things are ineffective if they are not done consistently. It won't work for you unless you stick with it. Make yourself accountable.
Support
You don’t have to be alone and support is essential for success. Whether it’s a support group, church, counseling, coaching or good friends. Consider seeking support from resources is also beneficial. Be sure to set boundaries and stay away from negative influences, use trustworthy resources and engage with healthy friends/social media environment.
Everyone faces challenges, and letting them build up can lead to burnout and stress. Make self-care a priority. For serious individuals, coaching and counseling makes up an important part of self-care. Working through personalized self-care plan with a professional can keep you motivated for goal achievement and help you to deal with boundaries as well as setbacks. If you feel overwhelmed for any reason, health coaching provides a space to explore coping strategies and talk through anything on your mind. Contact Qualitylifeforum@outlook.com for a free call to start your self-care plan.
© All rights reserved
Disclaimer: This information is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Consult your healthcare professional for personal conditions.
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