Self-care is about being good to ourselves in positive and uplifting ways, that can help us to get the most out of life, stay healthy mentally and physically and keep supporting and caring for our loved ones.
I want to share with you my top five tips that you can start using today…
Get Outside!
Even 20 minutes of fresh air can make the world of difference to your day. Leave your phone at home and step away from work, social media and that list of jobs. Fresh air clears the mind, makes us happier; yes really it does. The more oxygen you breathe increases the amount of serotonin (sometimes called the happy hormone) in your body.
Get some Mindfulness
There are lots of ways to be mindful. Yoga is one way many people find easy to connect with. There are lots of yoga instructors out there online if you can’t get to a class at the moment. Take a mindful walk; notice nature, the weather and the sounds around you. There are also some great apps out there and not all of them cost. Mindfulness helps us to
know ourselves better, and then to take better care of ourselves as well as being really good for our brains. It’s a win win!
When you reach for that snack…
Take a moment to check in with yourself, what emotions are you experiencing? Are you bored, sad, happy, needing comfort? We eat for lots of different reasons and that’s ok; but actually if we are bored and we eat something we are still going to be bored after we finish eating! Tuning in can help us work out what we really need.
Sleep…
How much are you getting? Have you ever thought about having a sleep routine? What we do to prepare ourselves for bed really matters. Some simple things that can help us drift off quicker are; leave that phone downstairs turned off if you can. Try to do this at least 30 minutes before bed. A hot bath can be very relaxing and it’s a great way to wash
off the stresses of the day. Switch to decaff from lunchtime. Caffeine stays in our bodies a lot longer than most of us think. Even five hours after that cup of coffee we still have caffeine in our system.
Have a giggle!
Yes really. With friends, family or just by yourself. Watch a funny film or your favourite sitcom. Research has shown that having a laugh lowers the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and adrenaline in the body. Why not have a go and see what difference the simple techniques for great self-care can do for you?
Thinking it would be good to talk to someone about making some changes in your life? Get in touch for a free chat about how counselling could make the difference.