3 Self Care Tips to Help Manage Stress
By now we all know that stress is something that we do NOT want, and is something we should avoid whenever possible. Continuous stress can cause issues within the body like high blood pressure, sleep inconsistencies, heart disease + if left untreated can compromise a healthy immune system. This is important right now as we continue to take steps to build our bodies immune system to fight against infection and disease. It is really in our best interest to take the steps necessary to decrease stress when we can.
Now while there isn’t a way to eliminate all stress because it is a part of life, there are things we can do to keep our stress manageable.
Tips to Manage
1. Accept your feelings: One thing I learned in 2020, is there are feelings ALL over the place, and they come in waves. It’s ok to feel anxious, worried, happy, etc. There is no right way to feel right now and that is ok. Part of stress is attempting to change how you feel without actually accepting where you are at the moment and allowing that moment to pass. Check in with how you are feeling consistently + give yourself what you need based on your check-in. This can look different day to day.
2.Pause when you need to: In a society that is driven by the next thing or moving on to the next task, taking time to pause for yourself can seem unfamiliar, but is necessary. Pressing pause can look like taking 5-10 mins to meditate, or going for a walk. Sometimes your pause can be sitting in your car alone in the driveway. Notice when you are starting to feel tension or stress and take a break.
3. Show Grace: Extend grace to yourself + others. This is STILL an unusual time. It doesn’t matter that the pandemic has been happening for almost a year. Things are still uncertain + there is no roadmap to tell us how to navigate this time. Be gentle with yourself by doing the things that help restore you. This is the time to pull out all of your “restore” activities. Whether that is movement, yoga, cooking nutrient dense foods, or even getting to bed a little bit earlier. Pull out all of the stops and nurture yourself.
Now while we dont know how long we will be in this space of the unknown, one thing we do know for certain is taking care of ourselves is a priority + there is no better time for self care than right now.
