Spin the Wheel of Self-Care Fortune to Keep Your Account Overflowing

Balance is something I’ve battled with since I graduated from high school. Even though I was in damn near every club & activity to do, I was still able to balance those, maintain almost straight A’s in AP & advanced classes, & work at Target. I guess just having to focus on my own things & having parents to get me where I needed to be lessened the burden of busyness. But adulthood…man, this is so ghetto! IDK who said this was fun, but if I knew back then what I know now, I would’ve embraced childhood so much more!

     Life in the real world is busy! Half the time, I’m not sure if or how long I’ve even slept. There is so much on my plate that I have to make myself sit down. I tend to make myself chill out because it feels like I have a battery in my back at times. Even husbae will say “lady, sit down.” I’m learning to prioritize my self-care a little more often, & the Self-Care Wheel has helped me to be more conscious about the signs I need to slow down & skills that help me mellow out. Let’s explore, shall we?

What is the Self-Care Wheel?

As I’ve gotten better versed in the world of self-care, I’ve come across my share of tools that allow me to embrace the concept a little more. For awhile, I just figured getting my hair & nails done & an occasional massage were the only forms of self-care. I didn’t realize how it’s so much more complex than that. This tool helped me gain some insight. 

     The Self-Care Wheel helps you to balance your life by breaking the various parts of them down into categories. Most of us are somewhat stressed at one point in time with the following: finances, work, relationships, & parenting. We don’t always account for the other less things that impact our stress levels as well, such as religion, politics, the media, & education. Whether it’s good stress or bad stress, it all has an influence on how you move throughout life. Thank God for Olga Phoenix creating this tool!

Breaking Down Self-Care Categories

Self-care has many categories, but the main ones the Self-Care Wheel focuses on are physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, personal, & professional. There’s potential for any of those areas to be affected by stress, so we have to make more effort to protect our peace in each of these areas. Let’s break these down for a better understanding:

• Physical self-care: This is probably the most popular self-care category that we cater to. It involves anything that stresses your body. These include exercise, massages, vacations, putting your phone on DND, & making sure you feel safe where you live. This is probably the easiest category to gather tools to recharge.

• Psychological self-care: This category focuses on your mental & psychological health. We all experience stress, but we all don’t deal with it the same way. This is a category you have to pay more attention to the signs so you know when you need some TLC. Coping skills for this type are going therapy, journaling, asking for help, & reading self-help books.

• Emotional self-care: It’s all about the feelings in the category. Many times we group emotional & psychological together, but they aren’t the same. Some coping skills for this are saying positive affirmations, rewarding yourself, cuddling with your pet, & laughing.

• Spiritual self-care: Regardless of what you believe in, your connection to something greater than you exists. It’s what keeps you grounded. Going to religious services, getting out into nature, meditation, yoga, & volunteering are a few to help you.
• Personal self-care: This type is all about you & what makes you who you are. It’s the people, places, & things that help us be all that we can be. Some of these coping skills include getting together with friends, setting goals, paying off debt, & starting new hobbies. 

• Professional self-care: This category helps you maintain a healthy work-life balance. They are tools you can put in place in & out of the workplace. These include taking breaks, setting boundaries, & taking classes for your career growth.

How the Self-Care Wheel Works

First you have to know what works for you to start implementing the tools & decrease stress. That starts with brainstorming self-care activities that you’ve found effective. This is where a self-care tool box comes in handy. It’s a list of people, places, & things that work for you when you need to relax, recharge, & reset.

     When I make my self- care tool box, I find it easier to break things down into the above categories. That way, I know I’m covering every aspect of my life. I even break personal self-care up into financial, social, romantic, & family & professional self-care into full-time & small business. There are so many different facets of my life that I have to break things down into smaller portions. Otherwise, something or somebody gets left out.

Now is when the Self-Care Wheel comes into play. 

Step 1. Assess your life

You’ve got to keep it real with yourself when you think about how well you’re doing in each of these categories. We’re not always 100% on, & you can feel when you’re dropping the ball in a certain area. Try to check in with yourself on a regular basis. Sometimes it can be difficult to check in daily, so set a schedule for yourself, even if it’s once a week. 

I do a mini assessment every evening before bed. Between my shower time & journaling in my Intentional Journal, I pretty much know where I stand each day & what I need to work on the following day. 

Step 2: Plan

It’s time to figure out how you’re going to go from half or completely empty to full again. When you do your check-in, make note of your progress in each area so you know where to focus your plan. Write your plan down, & add it to the Self-Care Wheel. A copy can be found at https://positivepsychology.com/self-care-wheel/.

Step 3: Implement

Put feet to pavement! Don’t just write your plan down & stare at it. Do the work! For me, planning requires me to write it in my Intentional Planner, add it to my iCal so I can set an audible reminder, & make a commitment to follow through. Without the first 2 things, I’m subject to forget what’s really important for the day: ME! 

It’s also suggested that you share your plan with someone. Having an accountability partner or support group helps keep me on track sometimes, especially when I put everyone else before myself 99% of the time. Husbae is a great one who’ll tell me to go chill out while he helps handle whatever I have to do. I can say I’m super blessed in that department!

The Importance of Pouring into Your Self-Care

Life moves fast, so you have to be able to keep up the pace. We oftentimes get so bogged down with all of our adult responsibilities that we forget that we also have a responsibility to ourselves. I’m guilty of doing that most of the week, between working & handling things for the kids. We should make a better commitment to ourselves going into 2024. 

     This year has been busy for me & had quite a bit of stress involved. I’m not sure there’s one area that didn’t need its cup refilled. I can foresee 2024 being just as busy, if not more. I’m pledging to do more for myself though. I want to see my stress level be more manageable, have an IDC attitude about insignificant matters, & be all around more healthy. I can’t keep giving gems to y’all without giving to myself first. Let’s get it!!!