Wellbeing Corner
Use the Holidays to Practice Some Self Care
Learning to look after yourself will build your self-confidence and help you give out positive vibes. It’s not always easy to get into the habit of self-care, so here are a few ideas to get you started.
1. Take time for a mood booster
Setting aside time to do something you really enjoy can help lift your mood. If you’ve got a busy schedule, an occasional 15-minute break will energise you. Spend that time listening to a few of your favourite songs, make a cup of tea, or watch some of the endless supply of fail videos the internet has to offer.
Or, we hear baking is a pretty delicious self-care activity. Practising mindfulness as you follow the recipe, taste-testing, the smell wafting through the house - what’s not to love?
2. Pump up the positive vibes
It’s so easy to get caught up in every little thing you’d like to change about yourself. But that’s not always the most productive use of your energy. Instead, take a break from thinking about what you’d change, and instead focus on what you love about yourself. At first, you might feel embarrassed doing this, but no one but you needs to know.
Write down some of your achievements or the personal traits you’re proud of onto post-it notes and stick them on your mirror. Make sure you read them every morning. That way, you can start every day with a smile.
3. Log out to chill out
Look, we’re not going to tell you to delete social media and go live in a cave. Staying connected is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, and to know what’s happening around the world. But keep in mind that social media is just a snapshot of a person’s life. And often those snapshots are heavily filtered. If you find you’re comparing yourself to insta-models, close the app and go for a walk, or call a friend and have a good chat. Then go back to point 2 and remember all the great things about you.
4. Take yourself on a date
Date with yourself = no awkward small talk. If you’re not keen on having an entire dinner by yourself, grab some ice-cream or a coffee and just enjoy your own company without the added pressure of an actual date. You could bring along a book or magazine if you think you’ll get bored.
5. Write it down
Writing things down is a great way of staying motivated and seeing your progress. Use a diary to keep track of the personal goals you’ve been setting and meeting, and update it regularly. Be sure to include both your big and small goals. This will help you to feel good about all your achievements. If you’re not so into goals, use your diary to write about your day - you could try writing what was crappy and what you’re grateful for.
Self-Care for Parents
Self-care includes the simplest, physical things - like making sure we get enough sleep and eating healthy meals. But it also includes more emotional, social, psychological, creative/artistic and even spiritual time for ourselves.
Ask yourself if you do the following for YOURSELF:
As a parent, it’s important that you take care of yourself! If you’re like most moms and dads, you need to be told that it’s okay to take time to take care of yourself. Practicing self-care is actually a very important step to becoming a better parent.
PHYSICAL SELF CARE
• Eat regularly in healthy ways
• Get exercise
• Receive regular, preventive medical care
• Sleep enough
• Take time away from the phone, email, TV, etc.
• Spend time outdoors in fresh air and natural light
EMOTIONAL-SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL
SELF CARE:
• Spend time with friends and family
• Stay in touch with others
• Express emotions, allow yourself to cry and find things that make you happy
• Read for pleasure (not work)
• Work on your marriage or other relationships
• Say no to extra responsibilities
ARTISTIC-CREATIVE-SPIRITUAL SELF CARE
• Give yourself quiet time for self-reflection
• Write in a journal
• Spend time out in nature
• Enjoy a hobby or learn something new
What happens to a PARENT when he/she neglects self-care?
As parents, we often feel so pressured to give so much to our children that we forget to take care of ourselves, or we even feel guilty for taking care of ourselves. This is simply unreasonable!
When ANYONE neglects to take care of him or herself, they put stress on their mind and body. This stress can lead to physical effects like a weaker immune system and high blood pressure, but it can also lead to mental effects such as depression and anger management issues.
What happens to a CHILD when a parent neglects self-care?
We teach our kids that it’s okay to neglect self-care and those things like healthy eating habits, respecting our bodies and relationships with partners are not important.
Plus, parenting can become an even greater challenge than it already is! It takes ENERGY to be a good parent. When we’re over-stressed and not taking care of ourselves, we can be irritable, exhausted or sad. But positive, proactive parenting takes patience, energy and optimism. So on top of not taking care of ourselves, we cannot care for our children as we might otherwise be able to.
It’s okay to ask for help:
Sometimes practicing self care - especially in the beginning - means asking other adults for help. Getting another adult to support you in self-care can be a big help in making it a permanent part of your life!
What can I do now?
- Schedule some self-care time every day - it doesn't have to be long.
- Write down a list of self-care techniques and start trying them.
- Read about some of the ways to look after yourself.