The Best At Home Self-care Practices
I didn’t really want to write about the corona virus. To be honest, I didn’t take it very seriously a couple weeks ago, and then it blew up and now we are all staying home trying to flatten the curve. It is such a change in our realities that it’s hard to even grasp. There’s so much I could say about it, but I don’t think it is necessary. There are enough people commenting and sharing their opinions about what’s going on out there and I don’t want to add to that stress. What matters most right now is you and your self-care.
I have been a huge proponent of self-care forever. It’s the core of who I am and what wellness means to me. And it is primarily what this blog has been built on. But right now, it just feels even more relevant and even more important than ever before. 2020 so far has been tough. Tough for so many reasons. At times of massive fear, worry, sadness, confusion, etc. the best thing we can do for us and for others is to take care of ourselves. Take the time to digest and understand what is going on for you right now. I’m sure you are feeling a multitude of emotions. Many of which are constantly changing. Amplify those self-care practices. Do everything you need to to stay grounded. Calm. Rational. These are vital things that don’t come easily when we are stressed and in a constant state of panic. So make them a priority as best as you can.
Remember that your heart is always there. Your heart always knows what it needs to do. Right now it needs care and love in order to care and love you back. Focusing on yourself is never selfish. In fact, right now it might just be the best thing you could possibly do for yourself and for other people. So let’s go back to our roots a bit. Let’s go inward a bit. Let’s remember what is important to us. What we are grateful for. Know that as much fear as there is out there, there is also just as much love. And there’s also a lot of kindness.
Below are my best self-care tips for what is going on right now. Take what resonates for you and leave what doesn’t. These are a lot of the things that I am focusing on, but remember that this is your journey. You get to decide what it looks like.
As always, lots of love to you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you are anxious or everything has gotten overwhelming for you. We are all here to support one another.
My best self-care practices right now
1) Nourishment
Focus on nourishing yourself in all ways possible. Especially with good food. Last week, I was simply focused on making sure I ate. I wasn’t eating healthy and truth is, my meals at this time may be all over the place. But I try my best to focus on nourishment. Whether that means a smoothie, or making sure I’m taking my supplements regularly, or getting more creative with recipes based on what I can find at the store, there’s plenty of ways to ensure that nourishment is still a focus. Here’s my current favourite smoothie:
1/4-1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 banana
1-2 handfuls spinach
Water + almond milk
1 tbsp hempseeds
1 scoop protein powder
1 tbsp almond butter
Optional: 1 scoop collagen powder
What I’m doing right now: I made sure I stocked up on produce and dried foods such as soups, pastas, rice, etc. Since I’m home for long periods and don’t want to venture out to the grocery store more than once/week, I don’t want to be worried about food. And I’m trying to continue with my usual hearty meals (gluten-free and dairy-free for me) as much as possible, crockpot recipes, smoothies and snacks I love. Of course, it hasn’t been perfect or what it usually is like, but I’m doing my best.
2) Connect to yourself
You are always available to yourself. We forget that we have all the power within us to ground ourselves. Nothing has changed there. If you have a practice of connecting to yourself that you love or you have loved in the past, this is the time to restart that. Or to be more diligent with. Even if you approach your practice with an anxious and heavy heart, do it anyway. Even if you feel like it may not help because you are so overwhelmed, do it anyway. Those little releases are doing amazing things for you even if you can’t feel it right this moment.
What I’m (working on) doing right now: Journaling, relaxing music, sitting in the sun and palo santo + oracle cards. When this first started, I completely neglected those things. I allowed myself to get lost in the chaos instead of remembering where my heart truly is. But now I find myself drawn to this one spot on my carpet near the window in the living room every morning where the sun comes in and I just sit there and do what I’m feeling called to. Sometimes it’s just lying on my bolster in the sun. And it really is the best.
3) limit your time spent on consuming information
It can be really hard to focus on anything else right now other than what is going on out there. But remember that where you focus is where your energy goes. If we focus on panic, worry, fear and the all the unknowns, then that will grow. That feeds anxiety. If you are prone to anxiety and are often affected by news stories (like me), then searching out more news is doing more harm than good. It can be natural to want to know more about what is going on, but limit yourself to a few sources and amount of time and then turn your attention elsewhere. And I really suggest not starting or ending your day with the news. Keep those times news free so you can get your day started on a semi-normal note and also end it on a relaxed note.
What I’m doing right now: Up until a little while ago I was consuming every bit of information about the virus and updates. I naturally want to know everything possible because that puts my mind at ease. But there just aren’t enough knowns about how this will turn out. And that was fuelling my anxiety. So I’ve chosen to limit myself. I’m staying informed. I watch the news when I actually want to get an update. I check out the government website to learn about any changes/relevant information and then the rest I leave. Instagram can be a hard one because it is a form of connection and can be really comforting for a lot of us. But that also means that we are exposed to more virus information than we want to be. However, lately I have been seeing some really encouraging things and positive outlooks as well as fun memes which can really help. I just follow my intuition with Instagram. If it feels like too much, I shut it off. If I feel like I need that connection then I stay on.
4) Do things that bring you joy
Don’t forget about joy. It’s still here and it’s still all around us. On Instagram - find the people who make you laugh and turn on notifications for them so you see their posts. Watch funny videos or inspirational videos on YouTube (I love Ellen and Jimmy Fallon and allll the cat videos). TikTok has been my recent obsession. I don’t understand the technical side of it but I love watching all the trolling of the pets/parents and the dance videos. It really makes me laugh. Go for a walk in nature if you can and if you feel drawn tot that. Start a new book. FaceTime with your family and friends and chat about something not related to corona. Watch FRIENDS (always). Draw. Paint. Write. Get creative. Create a vibe in your home that you love - light candles, incense, diffuser oils. Whatever it is that brings you that joy. This is the time for it.
5) Don’t be hard on yourself
Don’t worry if you’re not being productive or not getting your whole house in order and blasting through that to-do list. We do have time. This isn’t going anywhere soon and pushing yourself to get all these things done can actually bring about more anxiety. Tune into your intuition and do the things that fill you up. It might be cleaning one day or organizing something, but the next day it could be resting and watching Netflix all day. Tune in and connect to that intuition. Take off the pressure. We truly don’t have anything to prove right now. Our job is to care for ourselves and stay safe and stay home. So be kind to yourself.
Now I want to hear from you. What are some of your best self-care practices right now?