As we ride out the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become more important than ever to make self-care a priority. Regardless of whether you’re returning to the office, preparing your children for school, or changing your work-from-home schedule, the transition that comes with the new season can leave you feeling overwhelmed.
A new set of circumstances may require us to adapt and rethink our usual self-care techniques. In many instances, sticking to routines that served us well before the pandemic may not be enough. Fortunately, the steps we take to manage the rollercoaster of emotions and events can leave us better equipped to handle stress in the long-term.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care helps us maintain a sense of calm and can allow us to better support those around us. It’s often framed as a luxury–involving multiple steps or expensive products. However, indulging in self-care simply involves doing things that benefit us and make us feel good. It can include simple activities, like washing your face, getting dressed, and getting prepared for the day ahead. A popular form of self-care is scheduling the time to breathe deeply or to meditate.
Changing Perspectives
Whether we’re working from our office desk or from our kitchen counter, we can all fit in some self-care. It’s important to stick to our tried-and-true soothing techniques or take inspiration from credible sources. Accept that our thoughts may look a little different during this time and that uncertainty and anxiety can be used as tools to educate ourselves and take action.
As we’re in between tasks, we can close our eyes, breathe deeply and repeat – reminding ourselves that we can make it through current events. Some further gentle reminders and thoughts can include:
– Recognizing that our interconnectedness and daily choices can affect others in our local and global community. Through this, we can identify loved ones who we are protecting by physical distancing and staying home.
– Contemplating what personal and community protection means for us. We can also spend time thinking about our current values and how ensuring others are safe fits into them.
– Recognizing and encouraging others through difficult times when they need a little extra pick-me-up. As we all adopt a more socially-distanced lifestyle, taking the time to show appreciation or making someone feel seen can go further than we realize – especially within the workplace.
– Taking the time to be with ourselves and sensing our own needs. As we often hear, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” Now is the time to lean into ourselves and ensure that we’re physically and emotionally well so that we can show up for others. Identifying small things that we’re grateful for each day and taking in the positive feelings they’ve brought us can be a small action that helps to reframe future cycles of thinking. If we are coping well, there is always room to check on others and to reassure them they are not alone.
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