By Pooja Mamidanna
Self-care? What exactly is it? I am sure most of us have heard either a friend, partner, family member, colleague, therapist, or a doctor use this word to us. Well the term self-care can be subjective to everyone based on how they decide they want to engage in their self-care.
The way I educate my clients about self-care is the connection between the mind (mental/emotional), body (physical) and spirit (prayer/meditation). These are the essential domains of one self-care. So, it is important when we think of engaging in a self are activity we think of self-care as holistic component touching each of these three domains.
As I have gotten older over the years, I have realized the imperativeness of deliberately making time for myself, making this part of my daily discipline. I have a morning self-care routine ( that involves a 21 minute yoga/meditation practice as soon as I wake up and then I work out at the gym) afternoon self-care routine ( where I take a 15minute walk around where I work during my break making sure I get some sunlight) and night self-care routine ( as soon as I come home from work I take a really nice hot shower and I end my night before is sleep with a body scan/breathing exercise) .
These are a few essentials I educate my clients on that are important to keep in mind when thinking of self-care:
Technology is a big NO-NO
It is really important to pay attention how you start your day and how you end your day, most of wake up in the morning and the first thing we do is check our phone, or that is the last thing we do before going to sleep. Research shows that so much radiation is not good for your body, as the radiation that transmits from cell phones/all the electronic gadgets can increase one’s anxiety. It is important to engage in some relaxation activity when you wake up (helps set the tone of your day) and when you go to sleep (helps you relax).
Engaging in a healthy nutritious diet
We are what we eat, so in order to feel good we need to make sure our body is getting the right kind of nutrients in the food chain.
Getting Enough sleep
We need at least 7-8 hours of sleep, it is important we don’t use any technology 30 minutes before we sleep as the lighting can affect our sleep cycle.
Tips for healthy sleep hygiene.
Exercising
walking
running
dancing
sports
gym
hiking
etc.
Tips for Mental Health Benefits of Exercise.
Engaging in any mindfulness activity that helps you learn how to be present in this moment
Breathing
walking
art
taking a hot shower
reading a book
cooking
etc.
Tips for Mindfulness Activities.
Thinking about the positives when things are tough (focusing on what’s right) and not what is wrong only
Creating a gratitude list asking yourself to name three things you were proud of that you did that day? or three things that made you smile today?
Getting some sunlight daily
Taking breaks during your workday going for a short 10-15-minute walk.
Drinking enough water
Engaging in a pleasurable activity
Meeting friends
Going to the movies
Shopping
etc.
Here is an Activity list that can help think of more self-care activities.
It is important that we make time for ourselves. Only when we take care of ourselves and make that conscious effort will we better be able to be with others in our lives, perform at work/school, and have an overall better emotional, mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. It is essential to engage in some self-care activity daily (that is part of our daily discipline). The analogy I use with my clients when I am educating them about self-care is asking them to think about it like the way we brush and floss are teeth daily to take precautions for our oral hygiene; similarly we need to take this step in our daily self-care to take care of our mental health wellbeing.
I encourage you to start setting up a daily routine starting with a few activities (paying attention to how you feel before and after) and then slowly ramping up ( the more you set time to take care of yourself and make it a practice I promise you , those are the times you will look forward to in your day ). Research shows that it takes 6 months to make or break habit (in time and with practice you will get this down). Patience is a virtue as always.
