Self care is health care

The most important and most ignored aspect of our lives: SELF - CARE!

Why is it so difficult for people of any walk of life to just sit back and breathe, only for a few seconds? Why do we push self-care to the weekends while we use our body and mind 24x7?

There is a major lack of understanding about how self-care can be practised. So let's find out how easy it can be in reality.

Self-care is a practice that allows us to do simple, everyday activities that help improve our physical and mental health, keeping us healthier, happier, and more in -tune with our daily lives.

Investing a part of our day towards self-care helps us in...

• Noticing and managing everyday challenges.
• Reduce and Manage stress.
• Identify and accept personal vulnerabilities.
• Foster and sustain healthy relationships.
• Achieve a healthier work-life balance.

Social and Emotional Self Care

Social and emotional self-care practices work hand-in-hand to cope effectively with life’s situations and experience a sense of belonging and connection in the community.

Emotional self-care involves identifying and nurturing YOUR feelings, conscious inner state, and intellect. Taking the time each day to check in with yourself; whether you are feeling relaxed, stressed, or excited, gives an opportunity to notice any positive or negative emotions one may be feeling.

It is completely natural and valid to feel anxiety, worry, or grief. Everyone reacts differently to stressors. It's normal for feelings to change.

When our emotional self-care needs are not addressed we tend to feel stressed and burnt out. Emotional self-care allows us to understand our feelings, gives us opportunities to accept our emotions, and enables us to find comforting activities and friendships.

Research shows that people with better and well-rounded social support systems experience less stress and exhibit better overall health than the ones who are socially isolated.

Social self-care involves cultivating this kind of support system for oneself, alleviating feelings of isolation, and building a sense of trust and connectedness for everyone involved.

In the face of the pandemic, we may be unable to gather and go out for brunches or concerts; but we can surely take care of ourselves by:

• Listening to music and exploring new genres of movies or books can help us remain open and stimulated; also helps in taking care of our intellectual needs.
  
• Movement; dancing or singing our hearts out can really get the endorphins kicking in and make us feel comfortable and safe in our own skin.
• Venting concerns or frustrations to a friend always helps in eliminating the feeling of isolation.
• Allowing yourself to cry when needed; acts as a cathartic and therapeutic tool.
• Engaging in positive social media activities.

To be able to set functional and flexible boundaries between oneself and other aspects of life. Learning to say “NO” can prevent your emotions from bubbling up.

• Creating a de-stressing resource kit can help as well.
• Identify people with who you can speak in case you are feeling overwhelmed on a particular day.
• You can also identify resources that help you de-stress - this could include (but is not limited to): identifying a practice that makes you feel relaxed and de-stressed, identifying items that help stimulate the five sense organs - scents, food, music, etc.
• Practice positive self-talk - Positive self-talk has been shown to have a positive impact on both - our mental and physical health.
• Identify what you can and cannot control. Fear and anxiousness are natural reactions to uncertainty.
• Journal your thoughts and make a judgment of whether you have control over the situation.

If you feel overwhelmed or are experiencing stress ensure you seek help from a mental health professional .