10 Self Care Tips for Now and The Future
How's your haircut? Homeschooling? Travel plans? It's ok to scream into a pillow. I feel the same way. RELEASE.
Needless to say, we are in a very different place in life since my last newsletter, but there is no need to deep dive into the chaos. I think we all have had enough of that in our daily lives. What I would like to do is share these ten tips I wrote up for a recent IGTV talk I gave on my dear friend Anna's brand page, Prism London.
While these are helpful during quarantine, they can also be applied to life apres le deluge. Routines are necessary for stability, as are fresh perspectives, exercise, and acknowledging emotions. Have a read and let me know what you think and if I missed anything. This situation can play out so very differently for all of us yet we are all in the same boat.
Finally, I am thrilled to be working with MoreHappi, a new collective of coaches based in the UK supporting anxious and purposeful Key Workers with free 50-min sessions. Please send this to anyone you may know who is in need of coaching during this time. Key workers include Health and social workers/teachers/food workers/postal workers/justice system staff/public service broadcast journalists/staff of local and national government/utility workers/public safety and national security.
Thank you for all of your support. I am here, I'm queer, let's do this quarantine together!
Self-Care Tips
1. Keep a routine: Wake up at the same time you usually do. Get dressed even just to walk the dog or get on a Zoom call.
2. Get outside: Get new perspectives, fresh air, plant your feet in the earth for a little grounding.
3. Exercise: Check out one of those dance/yoga/fitness classes being offered online.
4. Limit news intake: Know updates/precautions but don’t wormhole into every negative story.
5. Think in the present: When feeling anxious/fearful about the future- stop/take a deep breath and say, “In this moment I am OK.”
6. Write a letter about how you are getting through this: You can keep an ongoing letter (or journal) to your partner/kids, relatives. It will be an amazing time capsule to re-read years from now, plus it will provide an opportunity to release these thoughts and feelings.
7. Acknowledge the emotions: Fear can harm the immune system. Are there parts of me that are fearful? Sit with the fear and see what happens. Once you feel the fear you will release it. Avoiding it takes most of your time.
8. Don’t be hard on yourself: In coaching we speak often about balancing the ‘Being’ and ‘Doing’. It feels good to work, read, and clean, but it’s equally gratifying just to flop on the couch for two hours. You deserve it! Your mind may be spinning through all of this uncertainty, so you owe it a little (or big!) break. This can be difficult for those at home with partners and kids but work on ‘Speaking your Truth’. Tell your partner you really need two hours just to regroup and tune out and ask them to watch the kids so you can take some self-care time. Try to spend this time in a healthy way. Self-care time does not always equal a bottle of wine!
9. Gratitude: Take a moment each morning (or when you have the time) to write down five things you are thankful for. Or create a gratitude group. Hop on Marco Polo (app) each day with two friends and share what you are thankful for each day. It feels great to connect with others and keep some positive energy flowing.
10. Just Say No: You may not want to FaceTime 12 people today. That’s ok. If someone invites you to come over, it’s ok to say that doesn’t make you feel comfortable. If someone is ‘pandemic dumping’ on you, just ask to change the subject. It’s all about setting boundaries!
Coaching is a big part of self-care. I am here for you to work with and through emotions, big life choices, and work on a vision for what is next. Holler!
