Do you find yourself neglecting your own well-being to fulfill other obligations and responsibilities?

Are your relationships suffering because you feel overworked, burnt out, or depressed?

Is it hard for you to say “no” to others so that you can say “yes” to yourself?

Self-care is a blanket term for deliberate actions taken to maintain physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Self-care is vital to living a balanced, happy life, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and maintain healthy relationships with yourself and others.

Dedicating all of your time on other priorities, such as work and home obligations, may seem like a selfless decision. In reality, though, it is a decision that is probably making you harder to be around. It is impossible to remain healthy and happy when your own needs are not being met. This can cause you to feel and act irritable, negative, and short-tempered to those around you. Loved ones who see you suffering may not know how to help, causing them pain and worry. On top of that, your partner may feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained because they feel responsible for tending to your needs instead of theirs.

Prioritizing self-care may make you feel selfish, but it should do the opposite. Implementing self-care into your routine is a proven method for improving your relationships and making you a happier, healthier, and more present partner. We understand that setting up and following an effective self-care routine can be overwhelming, and work with clients as a team to find what works for them.

Signs You Need to Practice More (or Improved) Self-care

  • You frequently feel overwhelmed, irritable, or anxious.
  • You have difficulty sleeping at night.
  • You do not make time to eat healthily, exercise, go outside, or spend time relaxing.
  • You ignore or neglect physical or mental health problems.
  • You can’t remember the last time you spent time doing something just for you.

How Self-Care Improves Your Relationships

Your self-care routine is directly connected to the health of your relationship with your partner, family, and friends in a number of ways:

  • It takes the feeling of responsibility for your well-being off of your partner’s shoulders.
  • It helps you to remain more present, relaxed, and level-headed.
  • It prompts you to spend more time doing enjoyable activities with loved ones instead of lashing out or focusing on life’s stressors.

Starting Counseling for Improved Self-care

Self-care is a proven way to help, but it is not something that happens on its own. By working with one of our counselors, you can learn about what self-care is and is not, how to set healthy boundaries while establishing a self-care routine, and which self-care tactics work best for you.

We are here to help meet the mental health needs of individuals and couples in the St. Petersburg, FL area who want to start or improve their self-care routine, decrease stress, and improve their relationships with themselves and others. Contact McNulty Counseling today to begin the journey to wellness.

Dr. Jenn Self l Marriage and Couples Counseling l McNulty Counseling & Wellness

Dr. Jennifer Self holds a doctorate in couples and marriage therapy and is also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. She is passionate about providing mental health counseling and couples therapy for over 15 years now. She sees adult clients (college-age) and up for couples therapy and welcomes all types of couples, including married, partnered, LGBTQ, and polyamorous. Dr. Jenn also enjoys treating anxiety disorders, depression, and gender identity issues. If you are looking for a couple’s therapist, give us a call to see if you and your partner are a good fit for therapy, 727-344-9867!