The Top 8 Self-investment Categories
What they are and how to apply them
***Updated July 2024***
“There is no more profitable investment than investing in yourself. It is the best investment you can make; you can never go wrong with it. It is the true way to improve yourself to be the best version of you and lets you be able to best serve those around you.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Self-investment is defined by the intentions and actions behind the purposeful steps you take to better yourself in the long term. More than self-care, self-investment redefines the very principles by which you live your life. These principles must be balanced between 8 major self-investment categories.
I am guilty of living life on autopilot.
Routines, to-do lists, and work/life habits control my behaviors; and by extension, my thought patterns. There are many systems I have put in place to guide my general lifestyle: animal maintenance, chores, work schedules, cleaning routines, etc. Those systems create order and productivity in my life but leave little room for the dynamic nature of everyday life.
When speaking to my massage clients about their daily habits and how they relate to their mental and physical aches and pains, I hear a lot about stress. Stress about upcoming work projects, marital issues, unruly children, body image issues, financial struggles, and more. Stress is the common thread that unites us all. We each have something that consumes our thoughts and overrides our neatly organized systems. But in the end when we give into self-neglect, stress and overwhelm win.
Southern New Hampshire University eloquently states “By taking some time out to engage in self-care, you may relieve the pressures of everyday life and reset yourself to get back to a healthy point where productivity is once again maximized.”
They have it just right, a reset is exactly what’s needed in this world. It feels backward that people will praise you for overextending yourself by investing your time in side hustles and condemn you when you invest in rest. Society praises your grind, your ability to “do it all” when really you’re grinding yourself into the ground.
The belief that pain, struggle, and tireless perseverance are the end all be all of happiness is an idea I do not subscribe to. The investment of self, and cultivating a relationship of healing, trust, and prosperity is what I believe in.
As a Massage Therapist, I work on tight muscles for a living. People come to me with all sorts of physical ailments they need help with. After careful discussion with the client regarding what activities they regularly engage in, when the pain started, what the intensity is and what exacerbates it, etc. we establish a progressive plan to systematically correct the pain points holistically.
I don’t scrape my clients’ souls out with my elbow the first time I work with them. Brute force shouldn’t be the initial answer to a problem.
Why then, do we power through our issues? Ignoring our struggles and our body’s cry for help.
It is important to have priorities and responsibilities that push you to new levels of excellence. But without the proper internal boundaries that set your limits for mental and physical strain, you are at risk of going too far.
When you only focus on what needs to be done and make no time to check in with yourself, you are at risk of burnout. Burning the candle at both ends, so to speak; a state those sensitive souls among us are familiar with. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Occurring when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet the constant demands placed on you. Entrepreneurs are especially guilty of this. Living off of coffee, not getting enough rest, over-worked and unwilling to slow the rat race. The outcome of which has negative side effects that are not limited to physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. When you ignore those feelings of overwhelm, there is the risk of getting stuck there.
To avoid this, have practices you can fall back on to reset your equilibrium. At its core, self-investment is a way for you to create new healthy systems for your life that uplift, encourage, and protect you and your growth potential.
These practices will not look the same for everyone. What one person may find helpful, another could never imagine doing. For myself, one form of self-investment is baking. I dedicate time in the kitchen to be creative; pouring my energy and self-expression into the creation of a tasty treat I can share. Self-investment can be as simple as that.
Some of my favorite bakes!
Investing your time, energy, and resources to evoke positive change within is always a good move.
Not everyone likes baking, which is fine; shocking, but fine. There are many different categories of self-investments to choose from. The key is to find activities that you can fall back on to recalibrate any negative momentum. Something simple that restores balance.
It can be the simplicity of alone time in a bubble bath; improving circulation, relaxing muscles, and calming your nervous system.
**Random side note for my fellow cycters, it has been studied that regular sessions in a warm bath can soothe some of the negative symptoms of PCOS. A super interesting read from a super nice researcher, check it out here!**
Or the act of cleaning your home environment; settling your anxiety, encouraging mindfulness, and showing pride of ownership in taking care of your nest.
Even the setting of boundaries within your social group to protect and preserve your energy, time, and personal space is an act of self-investment.
Stress on its own is not a bad thing, it improves alertness and performance, encourages social support, and increases focus. It is just when you allow stress to overwhelm you that it becomes unhelpful.
Being able to step away from the chaos of the rat race, and step into the systems you set that allow you to simply be, is taking ownership and turning off autopilot.
So for those not inclined to the culinary arts, here are the best self-investment categories:
- Emotional
- Environmental
- Financial
- Occupational
- Intellectual
- Physical
- Social
- Spiritual
With an honorable mention of Health Literacy. Being defined as any steps taken toward a better understanding of the health information you need to make appropriate decisions about your health and well-being.
But let us break them down further into what each category means and see some examples of how you can apply them to your life.
Emotional
What it is:
To become aware of, to identify what you are feeling and allow yourself to lean into those feelings as you start to process them.
Examples include:
Talk to someone (a friend, investing in a therapist), reflect, journal, read, do something artistic, listen to music, work out, take a walk, watch something that suits the mood (or does the opposite and changes it), cry it out, hug someone, laugh, take a nap.
Environmental
What it is:
Any action you take to improve the conditions of the world (or your world).
Examples include:
Donating to charity, volunteering, recycling, composting, planting a garden, walking in nature, decluttering/organizing your space, use essential oils.
Financial
What it is:
Develop habits that reflect what you’re trying to achieve with your money.
Examples include:
Establish a regular budgeting method, have insurance, have open communication with your partner about finances, set goals, contribute to a retirement account, prioritize an emergency fund, learning financial literacy.
Occupational
What it is:
Any activity that furthers your occupational goals.
Examples include:
Learn a trade, get a degree, train for a promotion, get enough sleep before work, polish your resume, Lay out your work clothes the night before, apply for your dream job, and open your own business.
Intellectual
What it is:
Cultivate a healthy intellect by expanding your knowledge and mindset. Expand your interests and develop your curiosity!
Examples include:
Reading, writing, learning a new language, listening to podcasts, teaching others, investing in content that expands your mind, puzzles, and watching documentaries.
Physical
What it is:
Activities that improve your physical health and well-being.
Examples include:
Eat a healthy meal, engage in exercise, go for a walk, drink water, dry brush, practice good sleep hygiene, sit in the sunlight, get a massage, take a relaxing bath, and develop a skincare routine.
Social
What it is:
Activities that nurture and deepen the relationships with people in your life.
Examples include:
Brunch with friends, going on a date, making time to call your parents regularly, volunteering, cuddling a furry friend, remembering a friend’s birthday, helping a neighbor, and encouraging your co-workers.
Spiritual
What it is:
Any ritual or practice we do to further the connection to our highest self and the connection that unites us all (God).
Examples include:
Meditation/prayer, being with nature, gratitude journaling, volunteering, connecting with a spiritual community, and reading spiritual texts.
Final Notes
The key to getting the full benefits of self-investment comes in two parts. The first is recognizing which activities in each category are best suited to you. Taking a holistic approach is what I have found to be the most helpful. Having something from each category keeps my life in balance.
Being a well-rounded person is such an individualistic thing, I can show you options but it is up to you to try them out and only apply those that are the right fit for you. This is a good example of why it is so important to know yourself.
It is through knowing who you are you learn what you need to thrive.
Secondly, find a way to make these practices endure. Setting up a routine of mindfulness (checking in with what you feel), then applying the applicable practice to the area that needs the most help at that time. According to a study published at Science Direct, eight weeks of mindfulness training led to changes in gray matter concentrations in the brain. The areas involved with learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective-taking. Meaning when you make a intentional habit of being mindful and investing in how you individually are doing, you rewire the way you see and interact with the world, making those healthier changes easier with time.
Life is dynamic, ever-changing, and evolving. It is up to you to decide what it evolves into. As Jane Goodall says: “What you do makes a difference. And you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” You alone have the power to change your life into what you want it to be. No one else can look after yourself the way you can. No one else knows what you need as you do. Participating in self-investment is an investment made with love.
Self-investment is more than just pampering bubble baths and afternoon naps, though those have their place too. You deserve to have peace and fulfillment and to live a balanced life as you move towards your goals. That is the type of self-investment we should all run after; the practices that encourage and provide motivation to become the best person you can be, which includes understanding when to work and when to rest. If you’d like some support in this area I welcome you to join my bi-monthly newsletter “from The Nest” where I share helpful notes and inspiration on wellness and self-investment.
With that, I wish you luck!
Till nest time,
