Self-Care in Strange Times

As we do our best to navigate all the recent sudden changes and challenges, it’s important now, more than ever, to take good care of ourselves. Though for many of us opportunities for self-care may seem limited due to time and space constraints, there are still some things we can do to manage stress and tend to our well-being in these very strange times. We’ve gathered some practical, enjoyable, and healing activities that can be done at home, alone, or with your family to help get you through this time with self-care and compassion.

• Cut through all the noise: Limit media exposure. While it is important to stay informed, it’s easy to become overloaded and overwhelmed with information—often conflicting—from multiple media outlets. Choose one or two sources you judge to be sensible and credible and stick with those. Limit the frequency with which you access media: try reducing it to once or twice per day. When sharing news, be mindful of the language you use and try to avoid generalizing or catastrophizing.

• If you can’t go outside, go inside: Begin or maintain a reflection practice. Tough times call for some focused reflection and gratitude. Rather than expending mental energy on worry, ask yourself (and your family) questions that will help you identify things you are grateful for. This is also a great time to begin journaling, writing to express your thoughts and feelings, and setting positive intentions or plans for the present and future.

• Meditate on: Make some time to clear your mind and release anything that may be weighing you down. Dorlee Michaeli, MBA, LCSW has composed a great list of free self-care tools: COVID-19 Anxiety and Stress: 30 Free Self-Care Tools.

• Music medicine: Listen to a favorite album or use this time as an opportunity to explore something new. Check out NPR Tiny Desk Concerts. Find some tunes to soothe your soul.

• Positive distraction: If you need some Netflix recommendations, I’m your woman. Or maybe there are some books or podcasts that you have wanted to dig into? Seriously, it’s ok to allow yourself some mental escape right now; just be mindful of what you’re feeding your brain, maybe keep it light. 

• Get creative and express yourself: Return to an art, craft, or activity that you love or try something new: writing, knitting, sewing, painting, gardening…the options are endless.

• Cook up some comfort food: This doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a dish or dessert that feeds your body and soul. Share the activity or the finished product with your family or roommates.

• Connect and reconnect: Reach out to loved ones or catch up with friends you haven’t spoken to in a while. Talk about the good times and how wonderful it will be to spend time together again.

• Doing good in the hood: It always feels good to help someone. Pick a few things up from the store for elderly friends and neighbors, create and share activities for kids, donate money to relief funds. With so many in need, there are lots of ways you can help in your own way and within your means.

• Get organized: Tackle that small project you’ve been putting off. A Marie Kondo—style purge of a closet or two always feels good.

• Play: Be a kid again. Share an old school game that you enjoyed growing up with your child. He or she may make fun of you a little, but that’s okay. 😉

• Get moving: A quiet walk around the neighborhood is free and easy to do! There are also some great exercise options online (“Yoga with Adriene” is one of my favorites).

• Establish some work/life balance: For those new to working from home (or those trying to do so), the lack of physical boundaries between work and home can be quite stressful. Keeping a routine helps to differentiate the time you spend working versus relaxing. Make sure you still wake up at the same time, and continue to do what you normally did before leaving the house to make the transition easier. Set specific times to start working, take a break midday, and when you stop working. Make a designated area in your house used for work only so you can put step away from it for the night and not be distracted.

• Be gentle: Try not to compare your process to anyone else’s. While we may see people on social media adapting to a perfectly inspired and structured homeschool schedule or working out in their home gym for 4 hours daily, remember that most of us are just trying to get through the day with some sanity. This doesn’t have to be the time you makeover your life, but it can be a time to implement small changes you can enjoy and sustain.

• Ask for help: Here at Clarity, we want to support you in caring for yourself. If you are currently seeing one of our therapists, let us know if you would like or need more frequent sessions to help you through this time. If you are finding our practice for the first time, please reach out to schedule a Telehealth session with one of our amazing therapists. For a great introduction to Telehealth, check out Shaina Frank’s blog: “Beginners Guide to Telehealth.” We look forward to connecting with you!