Children and adolescents don’t often understand the term self-care and families often me, “What can I
do?” Self-care is the active role in maintaining one’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being, often
through healthy eating, meditation, exercise, and other activities (APA, 2020). In this blog, I will explore
the importance of self-care in children and adolescents and describe the key components and why these
are important. In children and adolescents, self-care is essential since it helps enhance their overall well-
being. It helps build resilience, crucial for managing stress and overall mood. This process should start
early to help prepare them to transition into healthy adults.
Self-care has five components that encompass physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual
wellness. This month we will discuss physical self-care. Physical self-care involves getting enough sleep,
eating healthy, exercising, and caring for one’s physical health. Teaching physical self-care to children
and adolescents would consist of routine exercises such as participating in sports and walking the dog.
Another critical component of physical health is adequate sleep for their age range. It is important for
families to set a routine bedtime with no technology in the bedroom, dark shades, minimal lighting, with
no brain-alerting activities such as playing on the laptop or cell phone. Another component of physical
wellness is eating healthy, which contributes to healthy growth and development. According to the
National Sleep Foundation (2023), “Sunlight helps regulate our sleeping patterns.” So, sleep, exercise,
and healthy eating are overlapping components of wellness and self-care. Next month, I will provide an
overview of social wellness.
Wishing you happiness and wellness,
Wanda
713-416-9220
info@thriveablityfoundation.org