[1]Self-Care
During this time of uncertainty and stress, self-care is more important than ever but for some of us it could also sound like a fantasy that can’t be achieved.
Here’s a quick break-down that hopefully makes self-care easier to conceptualize and fit in to your daily routine. In each category below there is also a recommendation for how to fit it into a schedule that seems over-loaded. When it doubt, start with one thing, on one list – and build it up from there. Don’t overthink it! Doing anything is better than doing nothing.
Rest and Relaxation
*These are activities that provide a break from your Have-To’s and Should-Do’s.
Schedule: Just 15 minutes a day of rest can make a difference in our mood and energy. Try fitting in one of these in the first hour of your day, during your lunch break, after your kids go to bed, while kids are doing school or watching TV.
*Cat-Nap
*Meditation
*Reading a book
*Drinking Tea
*Yoga/Stretching
*Curling up with a furry friend
RE-Charge
*These are activities that give you energy. A battery re-charge!
Schedule: Try finding 30 minutes a day to recharge with exercise or a rejuvenating activity. 30 minutes at the very beginning or very end of your day is a great time to recharge. Just be careful not to get yourself so energized that you don’t want to go to sleep!
*A good night’s sleep
*Food that makes you feel good!
*Exercise
*Walk or talk with a close friend
*Art project or cleaning project
*Call a friend
*Do something you love!
Remember extroverts re-charge with others for virtual social time is extra important!!
Quality Time:
*This is time you spend with those you love – talking, laughing, sharing
Schedule: Try fitting one of these in once a week. It could be a whole day that you plan, or it could just be an hour.
*Living Room Dates: with your partner or your kids
*Virtual Dates with friends or family
*Talking on the phone with a long-distance friend
*Quality time with yourself – get creative!
Self-Compassion
*These are things you say to yourself that boost you up, cheer you on, keep you going when you thought you couldn’t go any longer….
Schedule: Every Day – 5 minutes. Develop a mantra you can say when you wake up and before you go to sleep every night. Or make a list of affirmations on a sticky note and post them on your coffee maker or bathroom mirror for a daily dose of love.
“I am strong and I can handle this”
“I’ve been through worse, so I can get through this”
“I am beautiful – inside and out”
“I am wise”
[1] Jennifer Winter Bernert LLC, Jenniferwinter.org
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