Self-Care For Your Personality Type
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Written By: Shannon Sweeney
There is no one size fits all self-care routine that we all can follow — especially when it comes to your personality types. Oftentimes, our most valuable personality traits can make us stressed and exhausted, making self-care that much more important.
And just like personality types, self-care routines can vary.
According to recent research published in Nature Human Behavior, there is evidence for the existence of at least four different personality types: Average, reserved, self-centered, and role model. They’re based off of five major character traits — neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Quite a mouthful, right?
You might not fall into one category — after all, every single person has a different personality. But let’s break down these personality types and go through some self-care routines you can follow. If one of these personality types sounds like you, try it out — or mix and match for the best results.
Average
According to the research from Nature Human Behavior, most people fall under the average category — fairly agreeable and conscientious, quite extroverted and neurotic, but not terribly open.
People who fall into this category usually have a strong need to provide for others, are social, have great self-awareness, and are very driven — but with this can come greater day-to-day strain, less satisfaction with life, and lots of self-criticism.
If this sounds like you, try these self-care ideas:
Have some alone time! Read, spend a night in, try relaxing with a face mask or bath — just something by yourself.
Write down 5 positive things about yourself a day — these could be things like finishing a project at work, complimenting yourself on how you look that day, finishing a good book, or making a new recipe that tasted amazing. This will help you stop judging yourself so hard!
Stay off of your phone for at least an hour a day, especially if you procrastinate. It’s crazy how much more you’ll get done when you aren’t worried about what others are doing and comparing yourself to them.
Reserved
Reserved people tend to be pretty stable among the five personality characteristics except for neuroticism and openness — those are pretty low for reserved people. Reserved people tend to keep emotions and feelings to themselves, and are usually labeled as the quiet ones in the group.
If you sound more like a reserved personality type, try these self-care routines:
Talk to a close friend or even a therapist. Reserved people tend to put their trust into a select few people. Whether that’s a close friend or a professional, it’s important to talk about things that may be bothering you or to just get things off your chest!
Take a break from social media. More reserved people tend to compare their success to others — and where is that shown? Online. Delete the apps from your phone, or designate a specific time to check each day, but don’t dwell.
Try writing — in a diary, notes to yourself, or to a friend — people who are reserved may feel more comfortable expressing feelings in writing. This can help you express your emotions in a way that’s comfortable to you.
Self-centered
First, let’s get this out there — this is not a negative personality type! If you find yourself agreeing with the definition of a self-centered personality, you are not a bad person. Self-centered personality types are below-average on openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, but highly extroverted.
People who are more self-centered care greatly about looks and what others think of them, which can bring a lot of stress to our lives. If you are someone who may fall under the self-centered personality type, try these self-care routines:
Give yourself a break from always looking “made up” by taking a break from makeup or doing your hair — instead, take one day a week to sleep in, give yourself time to make breakfast, or something else.
Write a note or a letter to the closest people in your lives explaining why they’re important to you
Volunteer! Volunteering is good for the mind and body, and this will make you feel great about yourself. Think of a cause that you’re passionate about, get after it.
Role model
Role models have high levels of extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and low levels of neuroticism. A lot of women and older people fall into this category, according to research, and are good leaders that are open to new ideas.
People with role model personality types tend to do a lot for others, but may not do the same for themselves. If you feel that you fall under this category, try these self-care ideas:
Take a day for yourself! Whether that’s spending the day doing things you love, spending an hour reading, or having a night in, dedicate one day a week to doing something that’s solely dedicated to YOU.
Say no — people with role model personalities may constantly feel the need to say yes to things, whether it’s helping with an event, volunteering, or something else. Don’t get too in over your head — it’s okay to say no.
Write down one thing to do for yourself a day. With days dominated by to-do lists, give yourself something small — get yourself a coffee, go for a walk, indulge in a sweet. Marking it off your to-do list will feel just as amazing!
If you fall directly under one of these personality types, or if you feel you’re a mix of a few, try some of these self-care routines for a happier, healthier you. No one falls into one specific self-care routine — but the important thing is to find something to do that makes you feel relaxed and refreshed.