How are you practicing self-care?
Everyone’s talking about self-care these days, but what does that actually mean? It’s important that you find time each and every day to do something that makes you feel better. Even five minutes per day spent not thinking about COVID-19 can do wonders. If you’re not sure what you could be doing, let me suggest a few ideas.
TALK DAILY TO THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT
And when you do, make an effort to talk about the mundane and not just COVID-19. Talking can be by phone, text, email, FaceTime, or as I have recently learned, Zoom.
STICK TO AS MANY PRE-COVID ROUTINES AS POSSIBLE
Anything you do that is that same as what you used to do will help you feel a little bit more normal and little bit more like yourself. Make a schedule for your weekdays, even if you’re working from home. Get dressed each weekday morning. Make your bed. Put on a little makeup if that was part of your routine. Do the little things that make you feel more professional.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY
Shower frequently, wash your face, exercise, and get fresh air as often as possible. One silver lining to this pandemic is that there are now tons of free exercise classes online ranging from yoga to intensive cardio. Find one you like and do it regularly.
FIND A GOOD DISTRACTION
One of my favorites is a free class from Yale University called The Science of Well Being, taught by Laurie Santos. If that’s not the right class for you, check out all the other free classes on sites like Coursera. If you’re not in the mood for learning, that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with spending this time catching up on your Netflix queue. Tiger King, anyone?
Find a routine for your (new) life that works well, get some exercise, learn something new, practice something old, and do your best to find humor in the everyday! I’d love to hear the ways you’ve been practicing self care.
Robin Maier is a licensed clinical social worker who uses a gentle therapeutic approach to guide women in every stage of life toward greater happiness
