Take Care of Yourself

With the current madness of the world, it's hard not to get sucked down a rabbit hole of doom and gloom. Many of us are being forced to adapt to new circumstances and limitations while mitigating fears, myths, and prevention. Just as important as your physical health is your mental health. Let's take a second to invest in our emotional well being in trying times where we're all struggling to find normal. Take a look at these self care tips from AFBHS:

1.) Be Patient With Yourself & Your Emotions: This is a time in which everyone is in transition and we have to recalibrate. Be patient with others. Not everyone shares the same views or even worry the same. Self care can simply be respecting and being patient with others and yourself. Yep, easier said than done, and still it's self care. (Dr. Valencia Agnew)

2.) Release Yourself From Worrying: This could sound invalidating so I will explain a bit more. Finances and health especially, along with every other legitimate worry and concern, are potentially taking up so much mind space it could be hard to sleep or function. One thing you can do is write down all of your fears on paper and when you need to, put that paper somewhere safe and give yourself permission to release your worries, even if it can only be for 5 or 10 minutes. Sometimes I think we fear that if we stop worrying we will forget our worries and then they will not be addressed, that’s what the writing part is for. In order to really get out of worry mode you may need to find a very engaging activity such as a 10 minute workout, walking your dog without your phone, taking a bath, hugging your partner or your children, writing a kind letter to a friend, coloring or taking a nap. Worries are not going to go away and we do need a break from them, especially when circumstances are not changing in the moment. (Nika Fesler, MA, LPC)

3.) Turn Off The News: When we are surrounded with negativity, one of the healthiest things you can do for your mind to make sure there is a fine line between being informed and oversaturating yourself with the noise. Please do keep yourself informed, but with the things you see online and on TV, pay attention and ask yourself how the information is affecting you. It's okay to take a break, unplug, and do something positive. (Paige Agnew, Business Operations Officer)

4.) Challenge Yourself: I find that in this time with many people losing jobs and losing routines we tend to lose our purpose. Many of us thrive with the work we do and the purpose we have. Don't let this stop you from challenging yourself. Youtube is a great resource to learn something new. Learn a new language or do something to help others that are struggling right now. Sometimes becoming hope for someone else can give great purpose. (Erin McKay, MA, LPC)

5.) Check In With Yourself: Pause and check in with yourself frequently. Ask yourself what you most need from you right now. Sometimes you need to give yourself permission to just do nothing. Sometimes it is permission to take a moment and feel your feelings without guilt, shame, or blame. And sometimes, you just need a candy bar. So check in and ask, "What do I need from ME most right now?" (Dr. Valencia
Agnew)

6.) Get In Touch With Nature: This tip comes from the school of nature-based therapy. In times that our societal functions, roles, and norms are questioned, it can be easy to feel a lack of grounding in our basic understanding of ourselves. One way that I like to ground myself in times of uncertainty is to go outside and connect with something that feels constant and stable. For some people, this may be leaning against a tree and for others, it may be finding a rock outside to hold in one's hand when things feel particularly unsteady--channeling the solidity of the rock when needed most. Some may create an outside sit-spot to which every day they return and notice the small and slow changes that occur as the season progresses. Seeing this slow and expected change can help ease the fear and anxiety of more drastic change occurring culturally. (Samantha Lemmer, MA, LLPC)

7.) Give Grace: Grace is what we give our children when we know they are struggling to learn a new skill. Grace is what is we give when a young adult is figure out how to adult. Right now we all need some grace. That means taking a breath when you're trying to juggle working from home and homeschooling your children and realizing doing the best you can is enough. Giving yourself, your family, your friends and even our leaders grace during this period is going to get us through and help us come out okay on the other side of this. (Danie Duron, MA, LPC)

8.) Don't Forget About Social Media: For your kids old enough for social media, don't forget to be aware of what they are doing online as they are surely to get bored sitting at home. While worrying is not self care, using some of the tips from Protect Young Eyes can give you a piece of mind. (Dr. Valencia Agnew)

9.) Keep a Routine: I am thinking of children home from school especially those behaviorally challenged or with ADHD, but in times like these, routines are important for all of us in creating a sense of normality in the abnormal. Provide consistency as much as possible. Develop a routine that you or your caregiver can help your child follow. During all of our uncertainty, consistency provides children with stability and security. And don’t forget that a good sleep schedule for yourself and the people in your household can go a long way.(Dr. Valencia Agnew)

10.) Accept What You Cannot Change: During all this muck I have found myself really fine-tuning radical acceptance. Working on accepting the things we can not change, as resisting the reality is only causing more distress and still leaving me with the problem. While accepting of being in a place with little to no control, practicing full present awareness with mindfulness can help notice the little things we don’t always get to notice in a fast paced world. Fully observing and taking the time to be completely present with one activity can bring some sense of joy among the chaos. (Brianna Taylor, MA, TLLP, LLPC)