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All Season Wellness

A Gentle Note to Readers

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Before you continue, I want to share that some of these posts include psychoeducation, poetry and visual imagery that touch on emotional trauma, family conflict, and difficult personal experiences. Some of the language and graphic elements may feel intense or triggering for some readers.

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Please take care of yourself as you move through this piece. Feel free to pause, step away, or return when you’re ready. Your well-being always comes first.

The Four Stages of Self-Care: A More Compassionate Way to Think About Wellness

  • Writer: Tiffany Snow
    Tiffany Snow
  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read

Self-care has become trendy. Glorifying bubble baths and spa days, but real self-care is much deeper. It’s layered. It’s intentional. And it changes depending on what season of life you’re in.


At All Season Wellness, we view self-care through four essential stages:

  • Regulatory Self-Care

  • Preventive Self-Care

  • Reactive Self-Care

  • Restorative Self-Care


Understanding these stages can help you identify where you are and what kind of support you might need.



1. Regulatory Self-Care

Daily activities that sustain physical wellness 


This is your foundation.

Regulatory self-care includes the everyday habits that help your nervous system stay regulated and your body stay nourished. These aren’t glamorous, but they are powerful.


Examples include:

  • Eating balanced meals

  • Maintaining good sleep hygiene

  • Moving your body (yoga, walks, Pilates)

  • Listening to music or podcasts

  • Practicing mindfulness

  • Journaling or positive self-talk


These activities create stability. They’re the small, consistent actions that protect your baseline well-being.

When regulatory care is consistent, it becomes easier to manage stress before it escalates.



2. Preventive Self-Care

Activities that protect against diseases 


Preventive care is about long-term protection.

This includes:

  • Medical check-ups

  • Mental health check-ins

  • Spiritual practices

  • Strengthening support networks

  • Time in nature

  • Gratitude practices


Preventive care says, “I matter enough to protect my future health.”

It’s often overlooked because it doesn’t feel urgent...until it is.



3. Reactive Self-Care

Addressing self-identified health concerns

 

Reactive self-care happens when something feels off.

Maybe anxiety has increased. Maybe sleep has declined. Maybe burnout is creeping in.


Reactive care might look like:

  • Reaching out to a trusted friend

  • Increasing journaling or reflective practices

  • Adjusting routines

  • Taking a mental health day

  • Seeking short-term support


This stage is not failure. It’s awareness.

Reactive care is what we do when we notice our needs and choose to respond rather than ignore them.



4. Restorative Self-Care

Engagement in professional treatment 


Sometimes self-care requires more than personal effort.

Restorative self-care includes:

  • Personal therapy

  • Medical treatment

  • Psychiatric support

  • Specialized care

There is strength in recognizing when professional support is needed.

Restorative care is not a last resort. It is a valid, powerful form of healing.



Self-Care Is Seasonal

You won’t live in just one stage.

Some seasons are regulatory, steady and grounded. Some are reactive, adjusting to stress. Some require restorative support, deeper healing work.

And that’s okay.

Wellness is not linear.



Expanding Your Self-Care Toolkit

If you’re unsure where to start, here are categories of self-care to explore:


Audiovisual

  • Music

  • Audiobooks

  • Podcasts

  • Watching TV


Reflective

  • Journaling

  • Positive self-talk


Creative Expression

  • Knitting

  • Colouring

  • Painting


Emotional Support

  • Peers

  • Friends

  • Loved ones

  • Personal therapy


Spiritual

  • Praying

  • Time in nature

  • Meditation

  • Gratitude

  • Cultural practices like smudging or sweats


Physical Health

  • Balanced diet

  • Sleep hygiene

  • Movement

  • Physician check-ups

Self-care doesn’t have to look aesthetic. It has to be sustainable.


A Final Reminder

Self-care is not indulgent. It is not selfish. It is not earned.

It is a necessary, evolving practice that meets you where you are.


At All Season Wellness, we honour wellness through every season, especially the ones that require extra support.


If you’re feeling stuck in reactive or restorative stages, you don’t have to navigate that alone.

You deserve care that supports your whole self.



Download the Self-Care Guide here:


 
 
 

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