International Self-Care Day: What the Research Really Says About Caring for Yourself

Katherine, BSE, MPH, MCHES, CWP

Certified Wellbeing Practitioner, Health Educator, Consultant, Author

Integrated Wellbeing Consulting & Coaching I Wellbeing Practice

If you've spent any time on social media, you've probably seen self-care portrayed as bubble baths, spa days, candles, skincare routines, and weekend getaways. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying those things, they can be unaccessible for many and they're only one small piece of what self-care can be.

After nearly 16 years working across mental health, public health, healthcare, education, and organizational wellbeing, I've learned that the most meaningful forms of self-care are often the least glamorous. Yes, you read that right! More often than not, self-care looks like scheduling the doctor's appointment you've been avoiding, setting a boundary that makes someone else uncomfortable, asking for help before you're completely overwhelmed, eating lunch on a busy day, or giving yourself permission to rest without guilt.

Perhaps the most important lesson I've learned is that self-care isn't one-size-fits-all. The practices that help one person feel restored may not work for someone else, and that's exactly how it should be. On this International Self-Care Day, I wanted to move beyond the clichés and explore what the research actually tells us about self-care, why so many of us struggle to prioritize it, and how we can build sustainable practices that genuinely support our wellbeing.

Self-Care Is a Biological Need, Not a Reward You Earn

One of the biggest misconceptions about self-care is that it's something we earn after we've finished everything else. Many of us have been conditioned to believe that productivity comes first and rest comes later, often forgetting that "later" rarely arrives. In reality, self-care isn't a reward for being productive. It's one of the things that helps make sustainable productivity and wellbeing possible.

A growing body of research consistently suggests that regular self-care practices are associated with improved physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Behaviors such as getting adequate sleep, engaging in regular movement that you enjoy, managing stress, maintaining supportive relationships, eating nourishing foods, staying hydrated, practicing mindfulness, and making time for meaningful rest have all been linked with improved health outcomes. These aren't luxuries. They're foundational health behaviors that support how our brains and bodies function over time.

Think about it this way: most of us charge our phones every single day without questioning whether they're "worthy" of being recharged. Yet many of us expect ourselves to continue operating at full capacity while running on emotional, mental, and physical depletion. Over time, prolonged depletion can begin to affect our physical health, emotional wellbeing, relationships, and our ability to cope with everyday stressors.

Your Nervous System Isn't Measuring Productivity

One concept that has completely changed how I think about self-care is understanding the role of the nervous system. Our autonomic nervous system is continually responding to both internal and external cues that help the brain determine whether we're safe or whether additional resources may be needed to respond to life's challenges. It isn't evaluating whether we've crossed everything off our to-do list or answered every email. Instead, it's constantly working to help us adapt to our environment.

When stress becomes chronic, our bodies can spend more time in persistent stress activation, making it harder to think clearly, regulate emotions, sleep well, digest properly, connect with others, or make thoughtful decisions. Over time, this may contribute to emotional exhaustion, persistent muscle tension, difficulty concentrating, irritability, chronic fatigue, disrupted sleep, and feeling disconnected from ourselves.

These are understandable physiological responses to ongoing stress, not signs of weakness or failure. While we can't eliminate every stressor in our lives, we can intentionally create experiences that help support regulation, recovery, and resilience.

That's one of the reasons self-care matters so much.

Self-Care Is Important, But So Are the Systems Around Us

As someone who works in public and mental health, I think it's also important to acknowledge something that often gets left out of conversations about self-care.

Self-care is not a substitute for healthy workplaces, supportive communities, affordable healthcare, financial security, or equitable systems. Individual practices can make a meaningful difference, but they cannot eliminate chronic stressors that are rooted in our environments.

Supporting wellbeing means caring for ourselves while also advocating for organizations, policies, and communities that make health easier, not harder. Both matter.

Lasting Change Rarely Comes From Motivation Alone

Another misconception is that self-care has to be elaborate to be effective. Research in behavioral science tells us something quite different. Lasting behavior change rarely happens because we suddenly become more motivated. Instead, sustainable habits are more likely to develop when they're realistic, meaningful, and fit within the realities of everyday life.

For many people, five intentional minutes of movement, breathing, journaling, stretching, or quiet reflection practiced consistently may have a greater long-term impact than waiting for the perfect weekend getaway or vacation. This is encouraging because it means self-care doesn't have to be expensive, time-consuming, or complicated to support wellbeing.

Rather than asking yourself to overhaul your entire life overnight, consider asking, "What's one small thing I can realistically do today?"  Research consistently shows that small, repeatable actions are often more sustainable than ambitious routines that are difficult to maintain.

Why Self-Care Still Feels So Difficult

If self-care is beneficial, why do so many of us struggle to practice it?

For many people, the barrier isn't a lack of knowledge, it's the beliefs we've developed over time. Guilt, perfectionism, caregiver fatigue, trauma, unrealistic expectations, chronic stress, and the pressure to always be productive can make slowing down feel uncomfortable. Some people even experience rest as anxiety-provoking because their nervous system has become accustomed to functioning in a constant state of activation.

Many of us have also learned to measure our worth by what we accomplish rather than by who we are. When that's the case, taking time to care for ourselves can feel selfish, even when we know intellectually that it isn't.

Recognizing these barriers isn't about making excuses. It's about approaching ourselves with compassion instead of criticism. Self-awareness creates the opportunity to respond differently.

Whole-Person Self-Care Goes Beyond Physical Health

When people hear the phrase self-care, physical health is often the first thing that comes to mind. Yet whole-person wellbeing is much broader than movement and nutrition alone.

Emotional self-care involves acknowledging feelings without immediately trying to fix or suppress them. Cognitive self-care includes giving our brains opportunities to rest, learn, create, and focus. Social self-care means cultivating relationships that leave us feeling supported while also establishing healthy boundaries when necessary. Practical self-care might involve organizing medications, paying bills before they become stressful, meal planning, or creating routines that reduce decision fatigue. Spiritual self-care may include connecting with personal values, spending time in nature, practicing gratitude, or engaging in faith or mindfulness traditions that provide meaning.

These dimensions of wellbeing are deeply interconnected. Changes in one area often influence the others, which is one reason whole-person approaches to health can be so valuable. Supporting even one dimension can create positive ripple effects throughout the rest of our lives.

Ask Different Questions

Instead of asking whether you've "done enough" self-care today, try asking different questions.

• What helped me feel more like myself today?

• What gave me energy?

• What drained me?

• What helped my nervous system feel more settled?

• What do I need tomorrow that I didn't give myself today?

These questions shift the goal from perfection to awareness. And awareness is where meaningful, lasting change begins.

A Final Thought

If there's one thing I hope you take away this International Self-Care Day, it's this: self-care isn't another item to add to your to-do list or another standard you have to meet perfectly. It's an ongoing practice of paying attention to yourself with curiosity, compassion, joy, and intention.

Some days that may look like taking a walk. Other days it may mean canceling plans, asking for help, taking your medication, drinking more water, spending time with someone you love, or simply taking one slow breath before moving on to the next task. None of these actions have to be perfect to matter.

Research consistently suggests that regularly engaging in small, intentional acts of self-care can support not only our own physical and emotional health, but also our ability to participate more fully in the people, work, and communities that matter to us. While self-care isn't the answer to every challenge we face, it is one meaningful way we can support ourselves as we navigate life's inevitable ups and downs.

Today, I hope you'll give yourself permission to do one thing that helps you feel a little more supported. You don't have to earn that care. You already deserve it.

Research evolves over time. This article summarizes findings that are consistently supported across multiple studies in psychology, behavioral medicine, neuroscience, and public health. While no single self-care practice works for everyone, decades of research suggest that small, sustainable health-promoting behaviors can meaningfully support overall wellbeing.