Self-care: A prescription for a healthier, happier you

Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Self-care isn't selfish, it's essential. Psychologist Dr Portia Monnapula-Mazabane shares why prioritising self-care is crucial for overall well-being

In a world that never seems to slow down, where demands and responsibilities constantly never end, it’s easy to get caught up in the chaos and forget to take care of ourselves.

According to clinical psychologist Dr Portia Monnapula-Mazabane from Durban, self-care means something different to everyone out there, so it boils down to just one thing that self-care involves: being intentional about taking care of your emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual needs.

“As human beings, we exist in different forms: physically, spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, mentally, and otherwise. So self-care means being intentional about taking care of all those aspects within yourself.”

‘It’s a way of life’

“The benefits of prioritising your self-care are that it helps you better manage stressors. Remember, it does not necessarily mean that you need to start prioritising your self-care when you are having problems; it should be an ongoing way of life.”

She also speaks about barriers to prioritising self-care and highlights time as one significant barrier.

“I know that as busy as we are, a lot of people fail to make time for practising self-care. Another barrier is the notion that self-care is a luxury. This is just a huge misconception and a lack of knowledge among individuals out there.”

“Whenever one is approaching or engaging in a self-care activity, at least have an end goal in mind – something that you know is going to cater to almost all your physical, mental, and spiritual needs. So it is normally advisable to engage in activities that cover almost all those aspects.”