At any given moment, we are all usually trying our best to take care of all of life’s responsibilities and ourselves. For many reasons, this can become difficult to do. Whether we are in the middle of a depressive episode, actively processing trauma or grief, or just incredibly busy with work, kids, or life events, sometimes we are not at a point where we are reaching our “ideal self” goals consistently–and that’s okay. At these points, how can we keep ourselves afloat until the stressors settle down? The answer is self-care–but not how you might be thinking of it.
What is self-care?
Often, self-care is focused on conversations about “treating yourself” or indulgence in luxury experiences (think spa treatments or massages). These can be great to incorporate, but often come at a high cost and aren’t possible to turn into a regular occurrence.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, self-care is defined as “taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy.”
This can look like a million things: drinking more water, prioritizing hobbies, creating a routine, going to preventative health appointments, improving relationships, and many more important considerations for overall wellness. However, it all starts to sound very overwhelming very quickly, so let’s go back to basics (for now).
Paring Down
Although we should be doing everything possible to prevent ending up in this “survival mode,” at times it is out of our control. In that case, we may need to pare down what we’re focusing on so as not to become overwhelmed.
Keep it simple: the basics of what we need to function well are sleep, food and movement. Let’s break it down:
- Sleep–the foundation of every one of our functions, sleep impacts everything from concentration to digestion. Sleep deprivation can make it more difficult to concentrate, make decisions, and regulate emotions. On the extreme end, it can even become a threat to your life. If we can only focus on a few things at a time, getting a minimum amount of adequate sleep to function will improve almost every area of our waking lives.
- Food–our body’s fuel, it is necessary for us to continue living. Depriving ourselves of it also negatively impacts our energy levels and functioning. Of course we all want to aim for proper nutrition, but the goal is not always perfection. Fed is best, and keeping in mind that better nutrition improves our functioning can help us stay on track for now.
- Movement–our muscles operate largely on a “use it or lose it” basis, and incorporating regular movement rather than remaining in a sedentary lifestyle can help us avoid negative long-term physical and mental health outcomes.
Reader’s note: this blog is all in the context of if you (and your children’s) safety is not at risk, and that there is access to food, water, and shelter in the first place (which we all deserve). Please seek further resources if that is not the case. It’s okay to ask for help.
