Self-Care During COVID-19
In a time where the world is on pins and needles wondering what each day is going to bring during the global spread of the coronavirus, I can't stress enough how important it is to practice self-care. Even on a typical day when we aren't instructed to stay at home, all stores are open, and we are "free to roam about the country," I would still advocate for parents to take time to pour back into themselves.
Self-Care is "The practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress." In other words, something you do to take care of your mental, emotional, physical health. These practices look different for everybody, as we all have different needs.
To the parent with multiple kids at home from school, self-care might look like taking secluded moments to clear your mind. This might include sitting on your porch or deck with a cold beverage, soaking in a bath, or hiding in your closet for a few minutes from the sound of "Mommy" or "Daddy" for the 57th time in the last 45 minutes. Do what brings you peace.
To the pregnant person, self-care during this time could be: Sitting in the sun to soak up some Vitamin D; Revamping the birth plan that has been affected because of hospital restrictions and precautions; Taking advantage of those free virtual prenatal yoga videos to refocus and stretch your body. Whatever elevates your mood and makes you feel better than you did before, tap into that!
The "Other Side" of Self-Care
The truth is, not all self-care feels good in that moment. Sounds contradictory, right? When many people think of self-care, they think of pampering, bubble baths in the sun, massages on the beach, and babymoons. Well, if we agree that we should protect our well-being and happiness, that comes with the understanding of doing things in the moment that doesn't feel good to please us in the end.
I try to keep encouraging self-care posts on Saturdays to remind people to pour back into themselves. Well, I decided to take a few moments of my Saturday and pour into my mental happiness. Those few minutes turned into my entire Saturday. What did I do? Wash clothes and fold laundry!
I know you're probably thinking, "Uh, that doesn't sound like self-care. This lady doesn't know what she's talking about." But stay with me here! I'm going somewhere with this!
As with all of us, the coronavirus pandemic has wholly flipped our norm around and forced us to find a way to figure out day-to-day activities with a complete change in plans. For me, that meant I had a mountain of clean laundry sitting on my folding table looking at me every time I went to put a new load in the wash, and I didn't have the energy to tackle that mountain since our stay-at-home order began. I chose to use the majority of my Saturday doing something that wasn't fun, folding that mountain of laundry. I felt like I folded a million clothes, sorted through two million socks (we do have four kids), and bag endless clothes aside to send to goodwill that my kids had outgrown. Today, I woke up feeling so mentally refreshed, knowing I took some time to do what wasn't fun and in the interim spring clean clothes at the same time! For me, that was a self-care win. Mental peace won that round.
Other avenues of self-care that may leave us feeling heavy are tackling a hard conversation with partners, friends, family, or coworkers that we've avoided to steer clear of conflict but left us with a solution, compromise, or clear conscience in the end. Sometimes, we put off addressing our problems because emotionally, it may seem like too much to handle, but the strength and growth we derive from setting our fears aside and tackling those problems head-on is the ultimate win. That also is self-care!
Self-Care Tips During a Pandemic
We are all figuring out ways to navigate through this stressful time as best we can and hope we come out of it better than we did before. However, I will encourage you to be proud of whatever path you took to survive this time and don't compare your journey to someone else's. The pressure can be real to learn a new hobby, start a new hustle, stick to a strict homeschooling schedule like your social media gurus, or get fit like you see your friends doing or risk being considered lazy. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to be like others because they appear to have it together. Do what makes you happy or set up a plan towards a goal, even if you don't completely reach it.
Looking for ways to self-care during this pandemic? I've listed ten possible ways to tap into your mental, physical, and emotional health and happiness. Let's take a look!
Spring clean your house. Whether it's one room, three rooms, or your whole house, cleaning out the clutter does so much for your mental peace!
Call your older family members. We often get busy without a pandemic in play and don't reach out as much as we can. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Call or video chat your grandma, grandpa, auntie, uncle, or older family member while you can. Hearing their voice might change your entire mood around!
Exercise. This doesn't require you to start and finish that Beach Body video knowing you haven't exercised in a while. You can start small or big, but go at your own pace. Get those endorphins going to release those happy hormones!
Sleep. Being forced to stay in the house if you are not essential personnel during a pandemic can seem daunting when you are used to being on the go. Take advantage of this time. Even if you have kids, take a nap with them or see if partner or family member can take over while you catch up on some much-needed rest.
Bubble Bath. Put some Epsom salt or essential oils in the tub and take a few moments to relax. It feels amazing!
Mute toxic people on your social media feeds. That may ruffle some feathers. The truth is, social media is helping many people get through the burden of being forced to stay at home. Scrolling through your social media feed can take you through so many emotions in a few minutes that it can be draining. You can still be friends with someone, yet mute their posts from your timeline if they continuously trigger you. Protect your peace.
Yoga. Stretching the body and clearing the mind is an excellent way to self-care. Not only does it calm you mentally, but it's great for your muscles. There are plenty of yoga instructors offering free prenatal yoga videos during the pandemic! Need some referrals? I know a few :-)
Celebrate your small wins. We can get caught up seeing what our friends, colleagues, or gurus are doing and compare ourselves to them. This can be draining and toxic. We are all not the same. If you set a goal, chop it up into smaller achievable goals and celebrate each task you check off. Even if you leave out of this pandemic without saying you accomplished that goal in its entirety, it still feels great to acknowledge what you achieved to reach it.
Learn a few new healthy recipes. If exercising may seem like a colossal task, try learning a few healthy recipes to add to your repertoire. Working out is excellent for your health, but what you put in your body is just as important, if not more important!
Meditate. No matter your faith or what you believe, meditating provides great emotional, spiritual, and mental benefits. Meditation is the process of training your mind to focus on something or redirecting your thoughts to something positive. These stressful times can cause us to focus on what we can't do; meditation helps reduce stress and anxiety, increases self-awareness, and can improve sleep.
Hopefully, something on this list gives you a different perspective of self-care and how to approach it for you. No matter the route you take, carve some time to pour back into you mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Self-care is not selfish. It's a necessity.