Relationships + Self Care

What is self care?

Self care sounds easy enough, but it is a bit more complex than you might think. Self care isn’t just making sure you brush your teeth before bed, it consists of finding balance in your life and finding ways to take care of your mental, physical, and emotional health. Self care can affect our moods, relationships, and overall functioning. Self care is not only for people struggling with mental illness. Everyone has mental health, so self care is for everyone.

How can I practice self care?

Self care really does not have any rules. Self care is whatever helps you regain energy in an enjoyable way. Here is a list of activities that are often used as self care, but keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive: self care is personal – it is what you need it to be.

  • Practice relaxation or meditation
  • Get exercise in a way that you enjoy
  • Invest Time into your Mental Health
  • Spend time with loved ones
  • Make time to read your favorite book
  • Go for a short walk
  • Have a spa night in
  • Cook a healthy meal
  • Play with your pets or visit a humane society
  • Draw, color, or paint

How can self care impact my relationships?

Self care can help us regain energy that we can then use to spend quality time with others. When we haven’t considered our own needs, it can be very difficult to consider the needs of others.

How can self care impact my self esteem?

Self care encourages you to be your best self – it helps you make decisions that are healthier for your body and has a positive impact on your mindset as a whole.

How can therapy help me with self care?

Struggles with self care can lead to poor mental health. If you are having trouble knowing how to engage in self care, a therapy appointment can help you understand what self-care needs you are not meeting. Additionally, caring for yourself makes it easier to care for others, as it energizes you and can help you set boundaries for yourself in relationships. Seeing a therapist can give you the tools you need to optimize your self care and make sure you are functioning the best that you can.

I’m having trouble with a relationship: what can I do?

Relationships are an important part of our lives, from romantic relationships, to family relationships, to parent-child relationships. If a relationship in your life is giving you stress and you feel lost in what to do, our clinicians can help. Click the following links to read more about different relationships and the services we offer here at CARE.

Pre-Marital Counseling

Couples Counseling

Divorce

Family Counseling

LGBTQ+

Parenting

If you’re having trouble with past trauma affecting your everyday life or your current relationship, click here to read about what you can do.

Intimacy can play a big role in romantic relationships. If you or your partner is struggling with intimacy or sex, click here to read more and get help.

Group therapy

Exploring the Benefits of Group Therapy

The journey toward mental and emotional well-being often involves seeking support from others who have faced similar challenges.
trust and intimacy

Building Trust and Intimacy

Building trust and intimacy is an ongoing process that requires effort, patience, and vulnerability.
Extracurricular activities

Balancing Extracurricular Activities and Academic Success

Balancing extracurricular activities and academic success is essential for a well-rounded educational experience.
Working with families

Working with Families: Systems and Structural Approaches

The family hierarchy will vary widely, largely impacted by family cultural components such as roles, boundaries, and power dynamics.
Social Psychology and Group Dynamics

Complexities of Social Psychology and Group Dynamics

Social psychology and group dynamics provide valuable insights into the social influences on behavior and cognition.
Social Media Effects

Unveiling the Psychological Effects of Social Media

Research suggests that excessive use of social media can contribute to feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
Balance

Striking the Balance: The Psychology of Work-Life Harmony

Striving for work-life balance is a continuous process that requires self-awareness, self-care, and the ability to establish boundaries.

Finding the balance: how to balance work and play

Let's explore some tips and strategies for balancing work and leisure time during the summer season.

Nourish your body and mind

However, it's important to remember that nutrition plays a critical role in maintaining good mental health during the summer months. With the right dietary choices, you can ensure that you're nourishing both your body and your mind.

Summertime Sadness: how to cure the summertime blues

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that usually affects people during the winter months when there is less sunlight. However, there is also a lesser-known form of SAD that affects people during the summer months.
The Influence of Caregivers on Attachment Styles

The Influence of Caregivers on Attachment Styles

As we celebrate caregivers in our lives, now is an appropriate time to reflect on the influence of significant caregivers, attachment styles, parenting practices, and how this impacts adult attachment.
Adult Relationship Attachment Styles

Adult Relationship Attachment Styles and Helpful Tips for Each Kind

As adult children move away from dependance on their primary attachment figure and form other significant intimate relationships, we learn more about ourselves, our relational needs, and how to communicate in ways that help us feel understood, seen, and loved in relationships.
Farm and Rural Stress

Coping with Farm & Rural Stress: Supporting Greater Minnesota with Tele-therapy

The rural population often faces significant mental health disparities when it comes to mental health treatment. Mental health services, including specialized treatment options, tend to often be centered in metropolitan areas, yet the prevalence of mental health needs in both rural and metro areas is similar.
Sleep and Mental Health

How Sleep Impacts Mental Health

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of our lives, yet it is often overlooked or undervalued. Dr. Heidi Bausch-Ryan, Clinical Director of Training at CARE Counseling, shared invaluable insights into how sleep influences our mental health and how we can enhance our sleep habits to improve our overall well-being.
Five Benefits of Talking About Your Mental Health with Peers

Five Benefits of Talking About Your Mental Health with Peers

Talking about mental health with peers is one of the best ways to celebrate mental health awareness month.
Share Your Story

Share Your Story + More Ways to Get Involved in Mental Health Awareness

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has some great ideas and resources to get involved in events for Mental Health Awareness Month. One way to do so is to share your story.
Help! My Life Feels Empty!

Help, My Life Feels Empty!

Does your life feel like it is dull, and boring, with nothing to look forward to?
Spring Maintenance for Well Being

Spring Maintenance Checklist for Well-Being

Spring is a wonderful time to re-evaluate priorities, clean out things that are cluttering up your life, and get a fresh start.
Stress Relief Resources for Teenagers & Free Online Skills to Relax

Stress Relief Resources for Teenagers & Free Online Skills to Relax

Most teens are going to experience stress. Commons sources include pressure put on oneself or from others around performance such as getting good grades and excelling in activities such as sports.
Seeing Humanity Within Characters of Your Family’s Drama

Seeing Humanity Within Characters of Your Family’s Drama

As you watch the family drama unfold before your eyes as an audience member viewing a performance such as “True West” written by Sam Shepard it is hard to not think about the characters in your own story.
Feeling Connected During Times of Physical Separation

Feeling Connected During Times of Physical Separation

It can be hard to feel like you are still connected when physically separated from loved ones. Finding ways to feel connected even during physical distance can help aid in coping.
Talking to Children about Therapy

5 Tips for Talking to Children about Therapy

Children and teens might be asking to go to therapy and are choosing to seek out help. In other situations, a parent or caregiver is seeking out therapy either voluntarily or at the recommendation of someone.
Developmental Trauma Support

Support for Developmental Trauma in Childhood

The impact of significant stressors on families and their developing child’s environment can be lifelong since prolonged stress can create biological changes in brain chemistry.
Timelines of Life Expectations: Where do these come from?

Timelines of Life Expectations: Where do these come from?

Is where you're at right now consistent with expectations—either of yourself or others?
Repair your relationships
Why therapy ends
Nightly Ritual of Connectoin
Intro to Couple's Relational Counseling
Creative Engagement For Couples
4 s's featured image
Grounding With The Senses
Love Maps
Understanding Healthy Boundaries
A Meditation for Setting Boundaries
Holiday Stress Meditation
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