Self care during COVID

I think we have not heard it enough that self care is so critical for everyone, especially us moms! It is hard enough trying to balance home, kids, and work and now with the COVID still looming around us, it is very important that self care is a part of routine for everyone. In today’s post I wrote about self care during COVID.

You can read my earlier blog about skin care for self care here. Another similar post is about the products I use and recommend. This post from January gives details about the 6 different types of self care along with examples for each. For more information, click here.

You can check this video below which I made few months back about practicing self care. Please like and subscribe, if interested.

There are different types of self-care: emotional, physical, social, professional, psychological/mental, and spiritual. You need to make sure that you are taking care of each. Emotional self-care is taking care of your emotions, and accepting you for who you are. Examples include learning music or maintaining a journal. Physical self-care involves ways to improve your physical well-being. Examples would be getting enough sleep or having skin-care routine. Social self-care involves maintaining a healthy relationship with people around you. Examples can be an evening out with friends or making phone call to a family member regularly. Professional self-care would include balancing your home work front, and examples could be taking a break at work as & when needed or decorating your work space. Psychological self-care involves taking care of your mental health, which may include delegating work and being kind to yourself. Mental self-care would be doing things to sharpen or stimulate your mind. Examples would be playing games with family or reading a book. Spiritual self-care involves taking care of your spirit or soul, and examples would include self-reflection, prayer or meditation.

This being my fourth post about self-care, I wanted to go in details about de-stressing as well as use of mindfulness and awareness to help reduce anxiety and worries.

In order to balance today’s world situation of facing once in a lifetime pandemic with our daily routine, I find that these five self-care ideas can reap short term as well as long term benefits. Self care should be part of our daily lives, and depending on how much time you have you can indulge in varied self care routines daily, weekly, monthly or on any regular basis that works for you. Remember one shoe does not fit all, so look around and chose what works the best for you.

Why self care?

Self care has varied benefits for anyone and everyone:

• Reduces stress

• Makes you happy

• Gives a break from routine

• Heals your body

• May help heal your mind

• Gives you time to think and reflect

• Rejuvenates you and gets you ready for whatever is coming next.

Having coping skills for things which are not in your control is very important and much needed. Here are some types of coping skills that can be useful for everyone:

• Self soothing:

Use your five senses to comfort and soothe yourself. Example of touch can be a soft toy, or use of a stress ball. Example of hearing can be listening to soothing or relaxing music, sight would be looking at nature or browsing a website that you like, taste would be enjoying a dish you love and olfactory/smell would be a nice fragrance or an aroma of food you relish.

• Awareness:

Emotional awareness can be developed through journaling or drawing.

• Distraction:

Take your mind off the problem by reading a book, knitting, watching movie, doing puzzles or looking at positive websites.

• Mindfulness:

Center and ground yourself in the present moment though meditation, relaxation and/or breathing exercises.

• Opposite action:

Look for affirmations and inspirations on a regular basis! Remember to speak to yourself as you would to a friend – be kind, patient, and comforting. Just as you wouldn’t yell at or be harsh to your friends, apply the same idea to yourself.

• Crisis plan:

Ff needed talk to a friend, therapist or a family member with whom you can share your thoughts.

5 self care ideas during COVID that you can try:

1. Taking a break from social media.

Instead go for a walk or spend time in nature.

2. Skin care for self care.

You may read this post for more information. Taking care of your skin, which is your largest organ, may help you find a difference in your physical self as well as inner beauty!

3. Taking time to rejuvenate

You may go for massage, or have a home spa. Other ways include soaking in bubble bath with your favorite bath bomb or relaxing with a book in hand or taking an afternoon nap or sleeping in late on weekends.

4. Connect with your friends

In addition to family members at home, make a it a habit to connect to friends, neighbors or colleagues. Due to COVID, if you are missing your outings, do Zoom or WhatsApp video calls and stay connected. If it is safe and you live close by, you can do driveway check-ins and meet up keeping 6 feet distance. You can also sign up to go to a massage parlour or nail spa or to grab a cuppa tea and brunch together, and keeping social distancing you can still get to spend hours together!

5. Indulge in something

It can be cooking or knitting or playing board games with family. Look for anything that relaxes you and makes you look forward to that activity.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is very important to have self care as part of our routines if we want to be relaxed and want to do the best for others around us. Self care and self love has to come first, only then you will have your bucket full to give your attention, time and energy to others. Especially in these times of COVID, we can’t afford to not pay attention to our physical, mental and spiritual health. They should be a priority for all of us, and all of our loved ones too! Hope you find this post about self care during COVID helpful to give you some ideas to take care of yourself first.

Dear readers, we would love to hear from you. Please share your self care routine of 2020 that has kept you sane, hopeful and optimistic for the future. You may comment below or send an email to nishtha@dawnandhope.com!