It’s safe to say we are experiencing surreal feelings at the moment as we continue to work together to find a new normal.
During this time you might be noticing changes to your thoughts and emotions which is expected and completely valid.
Our instincts might be to look out for those around us, especially those most vulnerable. Which while that is so important, in the long-term it will become difficult to do so without taking time to support yourself as well.
This is why I feel the need to bring up self-care. Below is a list of ideas for self-care and what it could look like during these times:
- Allow yourself to be human and acknowledge your changing capacity to handle situations day by day.
- Allow yourself to acknowledge your needs and boundaries for how much you can tolerate. This may continue to change.
- Remind yourself that it is OK to not want to engage in social media. One way to get a feel for that is when using social media, invite yourself to increase awareness about what it is providing for you.
- Encourage self-compassion and kindness towards yourself as we go through a time of change. It is OK not to be OK.
- Keep a note of support networks you have access to in such a time. If you are concerned about reaching out to others, one helpful tip can be the ask permission to speak to them first. “I am struggling at the moment, do you have capacity for me to talk to you about what’s going on at the moment?”
- Allow time for yourself to stay nourished. It is expected that the food we have access to is likely to change and that is OK. It is still important to keep your body and brain fuelled to continue your day.
- Allow time to honour your body with movement however you can.
- If you feel you can, think about taking time to slow your thoughts and re-connect with yourself. This can be done with mindfulness, meditation, going for a walk and even yoga if that’s your thing.
- If appropriate, taking opportunities to find humour in situations can help take the edge off. After all we are all in this together.
There is no right or wrong way. These are thoughts that I’ve had shared with me by my clients and colleagues and I’d like to share them with you as options for self-care.
I invite you to think how they might resonate with you and also how you would like to make some additions to this list to suit your needs.