Self-care, when practiced daily, can improve the health of individuals, families and communities.

What is self-care, and how do we fit it into an already busy life? Self-care falls into several categories:

Self-care at work enable a person to work at a consistently professional level. Examples of this include maintaining healthy work/life boundaries. If you are working from home, maintain a schedule as much as possible. Turn off your email and work phone outside of work hours. 

Physical self-care can include maintaining a healthy sleep routine, a healthy die, exercising regularly and staying hydrated.

Emotional self-care enables individuals to experience the full range of emotions. Consider writing down three good things that you did each day.  Watch a movie or do something else you enjoy (while maintaining physical distancing).  Have a virtual meeting with friends, talk with a supportive family member about current life challenges or speak with a counselor for emotional support.

Spiritual self-care encompasses a sense of perspective beyond the day-to-day life. This might include mindfulness practices like meditation and yoga, prayer, or being in fellowship with others at a place of worship.

Relationship self-care is about maintaining healthy, supportive relationships, and building diverse kinds of relationships with people not connected to work. Prioritize those close relationships that are meaningful in your life (partners, family, and children).  When possible, attend the special events of your family and friends, even if it is virtually; if it is not possible, ask for photographs or videos afterwards. 

Psychological self-care promotes clear-headedness and intellectual engagement. This might mean pursuing a hobby and making time for relaxation. It might mean finding a counselor or therapist to talk with in times of stress.

What is mindfulness?

So, what is this “mindfulness” everyone is talking about?  Simply put, it is being fully attuned to what is happening now. Not focusing on the future. Not focusing on the past. It is being fully aware as to what is happening right now. Right now.

A simple example of not being mindful is something everyone has done at one time or another.  How often when driving does one arrive at a destination, not fully aware of how he or she got there?  This is a classic example of not being mindful as to what is happening in there here-and-now.

The challenge is being mindful in uncertain, turbulent times.  People tend to focus on how things used to be. Or worry about how things are going to be.  Worry and anxiety can be lessened and even eliminated if focus is placed on what is happening in the “right now”.   How exactly can that be accomplished?

Environment

Take stock of what is close at hand.  Too often individuals are working at a desk or table, unaware of things around them.  Look out the window.  Open the door.  Take a walk.  Just step outside, even if just a moment.  Feel the sun.  Feel the wind.  Walk in the grass barefoot (if safe to do so).

Breath

Be aware of breathing.  Not necessarily of breathing rate, but rather the act of breathing.  What does the air feel like filling the lungs?  Can it be felt entering the nostrils and exiting through the mouth?  This is a great thing to focus on when needed to reengage and bring one back to the present.

Body

Is your body tense or relaxed?  If you change your position, how does that feel?  What position is the most comfortable?  What position tends to make you tired?  What position gives you more energy?  How does it feel to move around?

Others

It is easy to become so engrossed in a task that one forgets to nurture close relationships. Remember that physical distancing does not mean emotional distancing.  If you feel lonely or disengaged, reach out to people.

Your Thoughts and Feelings

From time to time, stop and ask yourself: “What am I feeling right now?” Too often, our days are spent on autopilot or in front of a screen, unaware of our thoughts and feelings. Recognize and accept the images and ideas that flow through your mind; to return to the moment.

Your Actions

Love for a pet. What does that feel like? If it is a cat or a dog, what does the fur feel like between the fingers and on the palm of the hand? What is the reaction or the pet? What is the reaction of the pet when you stop? What emotions does that bring up?

These are examples of how self-care can be used in times of stress and transition.  Mindfulness can bring a person back to the reality of the present…of the here-and-now.  Existing in a time of transition does not have to be frightening or unsettling.  Anchoring to the present is a way of possibly making that transition easier.  Anxiety and worry about the future can be lessened if the focus is placed in the present not the past or the future. Transition and change are always hard, but it is where we are right now that is important.  The future will follow.

Lynn Hagan, PsyD, LCSW is experienced in war, disaster, and industrial trauma counseling.