Self Care Habits for When You Have to Stay Home
Let's Make the Best of This
Things have changed so quickly. We must all adapt and support and do what we can. Staying at home is incredibly important right now, and it may mean we are changing routines, at a distance from family and friends, and managing uncertainty, fear or anxiety. Each with our own challenges, we are in this together. Here are three small things to do each day to help keep your sanity and health as we move forward.
1. START YOUR DAY with some time and kindness for you. Get up and go for a 10 minute walk or bring a coffee back to bed and read a chapter of your book. Write in your journal or a note to loved one. DO NOT check your email, the news, or social media. You may be surprised how this small gift of self care at the start of your day can provide a calmer, steadier footing for the rest of your day.
2. GRATITUDE. Find something good every day. This may sound a bit cliché, but it works. When you take a few moments every day to write down something good, especially on hard days, it helps bring balance and allay fears or grief. Keep it in a notebook, slips of paper in a jar, or in the notes app on your phone. With practice this gets easier and may help shift thought patterns during stressful times. And when you feel sad, dig out the above and it will flip your frame of mind again. Positive breeds positive. This article from the Chopra Center explains the neuroscience of gratitude with great tips on finding ways to make it work for you.
3. EAT TO FUEL YOUR BODY. When we are encountering change, stress, anxiety or grief, we may seek comfort in food or sometimes food may even lose its appeal. But it’s important to eat, and WHAT YOU EAT can have great effect on your mood, energy, ability to cope, and physical health. Be thoughtful about your eating choices, planning meals and snacking. Staying home is an opportunity to put more focus on healthy meals, and even try some new recipes. Not much of a cook? Limited supplies? Look for recipes online that offer 5 ingredients or less. Here is a list to get you started, I really like the White Bean Chili!
15 Five-Ingredient Dinners curated by the Kitchn.
Making an effort to be mindful of our health, and taking time for self care, can really help how well we are able to cope during this time, and it can play a role in keeping immunity strong. We hope you will join us on Facebook and Instagram let us know how you are doing.
Image credit: Damn Delicious