3 Tips On Self Care
/“Self care” is a phrase us therapists throw out quite often. But what does it mean? What really is self care? Self care are all the things that you do to improve your physical and mental well-being. These can include hygiene, nutrition, and lifestyle actions. So, self care includes things like: drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated, eating nutritious foods, showering regularly, limited alcohol consumption, time with loved ones, and engaging in a favorite hobby. Self care activities are great to do on a consistent and daily basis, but are even more important during times of stress.
Here are 3 ideas of ways you can practice good self care:
1. Maintain a good sleep routine. Sleep is one of the best things we can do to take care of our bodies and minds. Sleep allows our body to heal, our brains to make connections and store memories. Check out these other blogs on tips for good sleep hygiene: 8 Tips for Better Sleep and 5 Tips on Sleeping Well. If you can adjust your sleep routine to allow for more restorative and restful sleep, your mental health will benefit too!
2. Be willing to shift your expectations. When you are stressed, it is easy to feel overwhelmed (Read this blog for 6 Ways to Cope When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed). Sometimes modifying your plans, your goals, or even your expectations can benefit your mental health. If you need help on adjusting expectations of yourself, check out our blog here for more help : 5 Tips on Adjusting Your Expectations of Yourself.
3. Ask yourself, What do I need right now? Sometimes we are so busy doing things we need to do (grocery shopping, Zoom meetings, virtual school, getting tires changed on the car…you get the picture!) that we don’t pause and take inventory of what WE need. Do you need to eat? Do you need to take some deep breaths (Watch this video here on deep breathing)? Do you need to take a walk to reset? Remember to check in with yourself and evaluate YOUR needs, rather than just focusing on what everyone else needs or expects from you.
These are a few ideas to get you started with good self care. Focus on you and what you need, what helps you to feel better and recharge, what basic necessities you need. Focus on practicing good self care on a daily basis and see what effect this has on your mental health. Share with us some of your favorite self care activities!
The mental health therapists at our office offer counseling for a variety of issues including trauma using EMDR, depression, anxiety, grief, and couples counseling. We work with teens, adults, and couples. We also offer online counseling services which can be great for people with busy schedules or for people who live in parts of Pennsylvania with limited counseling options. You can check out our website to see the full list of counseling services that we offer. Or, Request An Appointment here.