“Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.” — Cecilia Tran
Self-care looks different for all of us, but what is the same, is that we all need to make time for it in order to lead a positive, fulfilled, and productive life. It is essential to our physical and emotional well-being, as well as our resilience through times that aren’t as enjoyable, or even downright tough.
If you feel like you need to give yourself a bit of attention, and aren’t exactly sure where to start, here are a few things to try that work for many people…
1. Switch It All Off
The thing that I often struggle with, with so many different things going on in any given week, is the overload of thoughts, feelings and distractions fighting for attention in my head. Self-care is giving myself a period of pure silence, away from e-mails, my phone, and any of the things that need addressing in the bigger picture of my life.
As a daily practice, this might look like sitting in a comfortable chair with my coffee for fifteen minutes before I begin the day. Or maybe I’ll have a nice stare out of the window, being conscious of the world moving and nothing else. The ultimate way to do this is to go far away on holiday and leave my phone in the hotel room for the day… but that’s not very helpful on your average Tuesday!
2. Switch Something On
Alternatively, getting lost in something other than the real world is a great way to relieve stress. A few weeks ago, I was extremely anxious about an outcome at work. I found the best way to bring that anxiety down was to play a computer game for an hour. The game required me to immerse myself and concentrate on the imaginary world, diverting focus from the spiralling in my head. This helped my resilience a great deal throughout the week.
3. Clean Your Spaces
My living room was so messy, it had been driving me mad to the point where I simply couldn’t work in it (I work from home). So, one day, I put aside two hours to deal with it from top to bottom. The serenity I felt from doing this did more for my wellbeing and productivity than anything had done in weeks.
4. Exercise
Whether it is a leisurely walk or an intense hour in the gym, regular exercise sessions have been proven to make you feel good. For me, it is not only about fitness, but the fact that an hour in the gym does not involve juggling a hundred things. An hour in the gym is just that… a chuck of time where my focus is in just one place.
5. Get Outside
If you, like me, work from home, you may recognise the realisation that one can have… that you have gone days without stepping foot outside. A bit of sun, or even rain on the face can do wonders for resetting your mood and concentration.
6. Music
Music is the ultimate mood lifter. If a situation is making you feel low, or you need to space out for a while, then switch on your favourite album, artist, or track on repeat (I’ve been known to play the same recently discovered song on a loop for hours before) could be your ticket back to productivity and positivity land.
7. Food
If there is a favourite snack you are craving, or if you don’t really want the fancy salad you planned for dinner and would rather order pizza instead, maybe it’s what your soul needs. Eating consciously and mindfully is important, but on occasion, comfort food will do your wellbeing more good than denying it.
8. Breathe
Nothing has ever been made worse by returning to the breath. I have a regular exercise that I practice when feeling overwhelmed. I just switch on my rainfall playlist and focus on my breath as I listen to the rain. It always makes my chest feel a bit lighter.
By Chris Thomson
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