Time just flies and tomorrow is the first day of November, I cannot believe we are already entering winter and both spring and summer are gone. Unfortunately with the start of winter, for most of us the weather gets colder and the clocks go back 1 hour, giving us less daylight after we finish work. All those factors affect our emotional health, and the uncertain situation around us adds to this stress on all fronts.
We may not have control over a lot of things that are going around us, but we do have control on how we react. This brings me to todays topic of the importance of Self-Care.
As a breast cancer survivor, I learnt about Self-Care after my grueling chemotherapy. I learnt that Self-care is not selfish and we all need the self love and compassion that we give to others. Self-care helped build my self-esteem and confidence which then and allowed me to become a yoga instructor. Yoga changed my life and it all started with me making myself important in my own eyes.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, self-care can be defined as “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” In simple words it is taking small steps to take care of yourself.
Self-care includes all the things you do to take care of your physical, emotional and spiritual health, it is a legitimate practice for your overall wellbeing. Often people sacrifice self-care for a variety of reasons, they are focused on caring for others and they feel guilty or are too busy. When life becomes overwhelming self-care is ignored and the paradox is that you need self-care most when you don’t think you have time for it.
By giving yourselves some of the love and compassion you give to others and by prioritizing your wellbeing you can be better equipped to take care of your loved ones, therefore self-care is not selfish.
Self-care is personal for each and every one of you. Making a list of things that bring you joy and trying to do a few of them each day is important because “Knowing” doesn’t bring change, action does. When you begin to take action each day, self-care will eventually become a lifestyle, not a to-do list. When self-care becomes part of your lifestyle, you become more productive, have more confidence and can achieve more work-life balance, which ultimately leads to optimal wellbeing.
Promoting lifestyle factors like healthy eating, regular sleep, hydration and regular physical activity can strengthen your ability to adapt to stress and be able to bounce back from adversity or stressful situations. It can help against anxiety and depression.
As a NYPBeHealthy Wellbeing Coach, my goal is to help empower employees in making small meaningful and realistic goals which can help with resiliency. Small successes may lead to lifestyle and changes in habit. Mindfulness is one strategy in helping my clients with their personal wellbeing.
Learning to be mindful in your daily life can help when you are overwhelmed. Mindfulness is the ability to be in the present moment and pay attention to the task at hand, it can be practiced any day and any time, the key is remembering to do it. You can be mindful in your daily tasks, from breathing, movement, eating, in fact being intentional in whatever you do is mindfulness. It allows you to stop, refocus and come out of your autopilot and any negative thoughts. You are more likely to be engaged and productive when you pay attention to the task at hand.
Now more than ever, do we need to take small steps to focus on our optimal wellbeing as every little thing we do counts in helping manage our stress. Here are some ideas:
I love this image and I hope you all are trying to do some of these things for your health.
I have still been baking since it brings me joy, but I try to bake only for friends, so the baked good gets shared. I also have started doing more yoga just simple sun salutations as I am suffering from politics anxiety. Please remember to not doom scroll as reading too much information on news websites or social media can exacerbate anxiety and depression, which can lead us to negative thought cycles.
Right now, we all need resilience to get through the next few months, so please practice any form of self-care you can.
To welcome the cold weather, I made Stewed apple oatmeal , it filled me up and I got some fiber and some protein.
Stewed Apple Oatmeal
Ingredients
2 apples chopped
2 cups rolled oats
1 tbs butter
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs maple syrup
1/2 tsp chia seeds
1-2 tbs chopped nuts
1 1/2 cup almond milk
2 cups of water
Method
Add the butter to a small saucepan and sauté the apples for a few minutes, then add some water the cinnamon and maple syrup and cook till apples slightly soft. Add the 2 cups rolled oats and 1 1/2 cup almond milk and water, cook till oats soft. You can add more milk or water depending on the consistency you enjoy of your oatmeal. Take out in a small bowl and add the chia seeds, nuts and drizzle with maple syrup if you want. A cup of coffee and the warm oatmeal made me smile.
What makes you smile?
