In the rush of everyday life, many people feel guilty about taking time for themselves. Between work, family and social obligations, taking care of your own well-being seems selfish. But the science is clear: self-care is not a luxury, it is an essential necessity for maintaining mental health, resilience and balance.

The truth is that everyone deals with stress differently. The way we are on a daily basis — more emotional, more organized, more sociable, more empathetic or more creative — influences the type of well-being strategies that really work for us. Therefore, effective self-care is not “one size fits all”: it must be personalized.

Next, discover which of these descriptions comes closest to you and find practical tips to start taking better care of yourself today, without guilt.

For those who feel intense emotional reactions: Breathe and recover

• Take 2–3 minute breaks for deep breathing.
• Use your senses to focus on the present: observe objects around you, touch surfaces, listen to sounds, identify smells and taste something or remember a flavor you like.
• Write down your worries to free your mind.

If you consider yourself an organized and disciplined person: Plan self-care as an unavoidable commitment

• Mark your self-care time on your calendar.
• Create a list of breaks (hydrate, stretch).
• Make goals flexible and always try to find alternative paths.
• Set clear limits: “time to finish work = time to take care of myself”.

If you are extroverted biased: Be energized by others

• Make a quick coffee or a short call with a loved one.
• Associate movement and interaction: group walks or collective classes.
• Reserve moments of rest after intense interactions. To charge the energy.

If you tend to put others first: Take care of yourself by taking care of others

• Learn to say “no” gently: “Today I can’t do it, but tomorrow I can help.”
• Include the family in self-care: cooking healthy together, walking in a group, turning off screens for 30 minutes to talk or play, or planting something together.
• Practice self-compassion: talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend.

If you are creative and curious: Explore and create

• Switch between different practices: yoga, music, writing or dancing.
• Explore creative hobbies as a source of well-being (photography, writing, dancing).
• Reserve moments of contemplation: observe nature.
• Adapt self-care to your daily life without rigidity.

How to protect yourself from professional burnout

Prolonged stress at work wears down the body and mind, making it harder to respond appropriately. The good news is that mental and emotional flexibility can change the way you view problems, helping you feel more confident in the face of difficulties.

When you feel like you can’t handle it anymore, pause and ask yourself:

• “What is really in my control right now?”
• “What small action can I do today to feel better?”

It doesn’t need big changes. Often, relief begins with simple gestures:

• Get up and drink a glass of water slowly, paying attention to the feeling of freshness.
• Look out the window and notice a detail of nature.
• Take a few deep breaths and feel your body relax.

When we stop seeing self-care as selfishness and start seeing it as an investment, we gain energy, presence and balance — for ourselves and for those who depend on us

References

Garland, E. L., Geschwind, N., Peeters, F., & Wichers, M. (2015). Mindfulness training promotes upward spirals of positive affect and cognition: Multilevel and autoregressive latent trajectory modeling analyses. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00015

Marcisz-Dyla, E., Dąbek, J., Irzyniec, T., & Marcisz, C. (2022). Personality traits, strategies of coping with stress and psychophysical wellbeing of surgical and non-surgical doctors in Poland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1646. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031646

Oliver, A., Revuelto, L., Fernández, I., Simó-Algado, S., & Galiana, L. (2019). An integrative model of the subjective well-being of staff working in intellectual disability services. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 87, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2019.01.007 Ye, Q., Zhong, K., Yuan, L., Huang, Q., & Hu, X. (2025). High-stress, conscientiousness and positive coping: Correlation analysis of personality traits, coping style and stress load among obstetrics and gynecology female nurses and midwives in twenty-one public hospitals in Southern China. BMC Women’s Health, 25(116). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03620-7