Your Guide to Self Care and Wellness
What is self care?
Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others.
Top tips for self care
- Engage in healthy behaviors to enhance your ability to cope – Eat well-balanced meals and get plenty of rest.
- If you experience difficulties sleeping, you may be able to find some relief through relaxation techniques
- Regular exercise, like walking, cycling or jogging is very good at reducing the physical effects of stress and trauma, try to do a little everyday
- Reduce intake of tea, coffee, chocolate, cola and cigarettes. Your body is already “hyped-up” and these substances only add to this.
- Do not try to numb the pain with drugs or alcohol; this will lead to more problems in the long term.
- Make time for relaxation – this is a skill that requires practice. You may wish to learn a technique such as deep muscle relaxation, meditation or yoga, or breathing exercises, indulge yourself and have a massage – whatever works for you.
- Structure your days: try planning a timetable for each day, including work rest and exercise.
- Do activities you enjoy, try to make time for a least one enjoyable activity each day.
- Some people find that keeping a journal or diary can be helpful. Especially when you can’t talk to others about how you feel, writing it down is almost as good.
- Debrief with staff/managers/colleagues regularly
- Access support from your family and friends
- Remember – it is important to “be there” for yourself otherwise you can’t “be there” for others – self-care is important.
Make an appointment with your EAP Provider who can teach you the self-help strategies mentioned above – learning to “stress less” is easier than you think.