SPCO101

Formal Outline
Prof: Ellis
Xavier Stagg

Formal Outline
The Importance of Self-Care
Thesis statement
Taking time for yourself is very important. Self-care allows us to put time for ourselves and
immersing oneself in individual or group interactions. This can include physical, mental,
emotional, spiritual, intellectual, or social self-care activities.

Introduction
Self-care is such a pivotal experience that individuals should take time when feeling
overwhelmed, stressed, experiencing unpleasant feelings and thoughts, etc. Self-care can also be
used as a way to treat yourself to something sweet or an activity that you most enjoy.

A. Self-Care is making sure that you live well and improving your physical and mental
health.
i. This can be very beneficial to manage your stress levels, lowering risk for
physical illnesses, increasing both physical and mental energy.
ii. There has been a correlation between your brain health and engaging in
self-care. Why When we engage in such activities that produce pleasure
and excitement your brain releases a neurotransmitter called ‘dopamine’
iii. This is the feel-good neurotransmitter that is also involved in
reinforcement. In terms of self-care, one may treat themselves to cookies.
Once you may try one of those cookies, we might come back for another
one (or two, or three).
Transition
i. There is many forms of self-care practices that you can immerse yourself
in.
ii. Physical self-care is when you take care of your physical body if you are
feeling sick or ill all the time, which can take so much energy out of a
person. Physical self-care helps with that.
iii. This regime includes eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, and
getting a good amount of sleep every night to help boost your energy
levels and contribute to the overall quality of life.
ii. Main Point: The next form of self-care is mental health care. This purely involves your
psychological and cognitive thinking and your mind’s ability to understand and process
information and experience.
i. Mental health self-care activities include the following activities.
ii. This include you; learning a new skill or language, setting big intentional goals or
mini personal goals, reading, reading self-help or personal growth books, journaling,
practicing gratitude, doing a social media detox, engaging in a game of chess, and
practicing positive thinking.
Transition
B. supporting information: emotional self-care involves allowing yourself to feel your
feelings and better understand yourself in a better light. This can allow one to develop
emotional intelligence.
i. Emotional self-care activities include; setting healthy and clear boundaries and
protecting your energy, spending time by yourself with no distractions, journaling
your feelings, going to a professional counselor or a clinical therapist, or even
having a good cry.
Transition
a. supporting information: social self-care doesn’t always have to be spending
time with yourself. Social self care is the ability to build and maintain healthy
interpersonal relationships with others. Social connections allow you to feel loved
and less alone.
b. Social self care activities include: forming new personal and professional
relationships with others that you may meet in your life, staying connected to
important people in your life, hanging out with a close friend, and even ending
relationships with unhealthy people that may cause you to stress and spiral.
Conclusion: This is why you should engage in such self-care activities. This is very important
for your physical and mental health. It can provide a safe space for you in times of need and
giving you that comfort that you desperately deserve.

Citations

National Institute of Mental Health. “Caring for Your Mental Health.” National Institute of

Mental Health, Dec. 2022, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-

health.

Watson, Stephanie. “Dopamine: The Pathway to Pleasure.” Harvard Health, Harvard Medical

School, 20 July 2021, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/dopamine-the-pathway-

to-pleasure.
“8 Areas of Self Care and How to Practice Them.” Rocky Vista Health Center, 1 Oct. 2022,

www.rockyvistahc.com/8-areas-of-self-care-and-how-to-practice-them.