When a crisis strikes it is easy to become overwhelmed. Between stressing about finances or taking care of your family, we often forget to take care of ourselves. Here are a few suggestions on how you can practice self-care while navigating through difficult times.
- Take Care of Your Body
A major change to your daily routine can be stressful. It can be overwhelming to try to find a new way of doing things. Take a step back and check in with yourself. What can you change to help you feel “normal”? What is causing you the most stress? Listen to what your body needs. Do an activity that brings you joy. Meditate and get plenty of sleep. Rediscover an old hobby, play a boardgame, or read a book. Exercise regularly. Even just a walk around your neighborhood for some fresh air is good. Stick to eating your normal three meals every day. If possible, try to eat healthy foods.
- Connect With Others
We are naturally social beings, so try not to close yourself off from others. Even though we cannot socialize in person, friends, family, and therapists are just a phone call away. Utilize the technology we have. Talk to someone you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling.
- Decide What Truly Matters
Some people are looking at all of the tasks they “have to” do. In some cases this is setting your sights too high and can lead to feeling very overwhelmed. Instead, start a new list of what you want/need to get done. Don’t try to take on everything at once, focus on each item and prioritize them. Scale back your list so it just contains the highest priority items. Then, spread out when you plan to work on each one. Be sure to set aside plenty of time to complete them. Most importantly, do not be afraid to ask for help—we can’t do everything alone.
