Physical Self-Care

Allison Mauldin, Grad Student

What Comes First… the Chicken or the Egg?
Most everyone is familiar with the age-old question of what comes first… the chicken or the egg. However, the same question could be asked of physical and emotional care. So, what aspect is most important? They tend to go hand in hand, overlapping, with it being difficult to distinguish where one begins and the other ends.
Many benefits exist for both types of care. In fact, I imagine you can rattle off at least five physical benefits off the top of your head right now. Benefits such as decreased risks of chronic diseases later on in life, increased energy and less fatigue, strengthening your muscles, taking preventative strides, such as doctors’ visits, proper sleep, rest, and nutrition more than likely made your list. Additionally, greater quality of life overall and enhanced mental health, such as decreasing depressive and anxiety symptoms, may result from engaging in physical endeavors.
So, if we instinctively know that the advantages are ready and waiting for us, why do we sometimes internally struggle with taking care of ourselves, or place our health on the back burner? Why do New Year’s resolutions often fall by the wayside by the end of the first month? Reasons vary from a simple lack of time to a lack of prioritizing and setting specific goals, from a lack of motivation to self-sabotage, or from underlying feelings of inadequacy to low self-worth. Whatever the reasoning, how can we implement positive changes towards our physical health?
One suggestion is to brainstorm and write SMART goals where the goals set are:
Specific,
Measurable,
Achievable,
Relevant, and
Time-Bound
(University of California, 2017). Check out the University of California’s how to guide at https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How+to+write+SMART+Goals+v2.pdf.
The beauty of SMART goals is that they can apply to any goals in your life, not just enhancing your physical health. Or if you need to investigate more underlying reasons which are preventing you from taking care of yourself physically, you can explore a CBT technique called the Downward Arrow Technique video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr7hS-mNhEY (The Psych Diaries, 2024), where a clinical psychologist from Sydney, Australia provides tools to help uncover core beliefs or fears that may be holding you back.
Thus, does it really matter if the chicken or the egg comes first? Rather, given our present discussion, does it matter if emotional or physical care is more important to our well-being, as long as we approach both from a growth mindset, intent on improving our overall health? In the words of famous actor Bill Murray in What About Bob, be “smart” and “baby step” your way to success.