“Stay-In-Place Self-Care”
By Wendy Wheeler; published in the Phoenix Spirit May/June 2020 issue
Even if you did not fully listen to the pre-flight safety presentation the last time you flew on an airplane, I’m willing to bet you recall the advice to put your own mask on before you help others. The reason is simple: you CANNOT help anyone else if you are in danger of running out of
oxygen yourself.
This advice is also useful now that many of us are working from home while also caring for our families, helping children learn, and tending to the needs of our significant others. With increased demands in an environment that is at times stressful and anxiety producing, the need for self-care is even more important than it has ever been. Caring for ourselves allows us to better care for others. But, oddly enough, finding the means or time to care for ourselves can add to our stress levels.
Self-care can take many forms: exercising, good nutrition that nourishes our bodies, relaxing, making meaningful connections with others. If deciding what to do, or finding the time to do it adds to your anxiety, try this advice from the recovery community…KISS (Keep It Simple Sweetie)! Do what you can, when you can, to care for yourself so that you can be the best worker, partner, parent, homeschool supervisor, or friend.
Suggestions to Serve as Guidelines or Inspiration
By Becky Wilken, RN, Faith Community Nurse and member of SOTV since 1994
Go Outside: Walk, bike ride, or run while social distancing. Even a walk around the block can provide a few minutes of rest and relaxation. Or, just try moving outside to work, read, or sit.
At-Home Workout: Your workout doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Think of working major muscle groups, including arms, legs, back, abdominals. I like to do a 15-20 minute combination of stretches, sit-ups, squats, lunges, and arm weights. Try googling “at-home workouts,” “quarantine workouts,” or “easy yoga stretches.” Workout a minimum of 3-4 times weekly. Your body and spirit will thank you.
Drink Water: This promotes digestion, aids in transportation of nutrients to your cells, and helps maintain a healthy body temperature. It’s recommended that we drink half our body weight in ounces. (150 lbs = drink 75 ounces of water daily—about 9 cups). Urine should be light yellow.*
Connect: Now more than ever, it’s important to our health and well-being to connect with people outside our families. Too much isolation is, frankly speaking, depressing. Technology offers many ways to connect: Zoom, Facetime, SOTV services, book club,
Bible Study. Send someone mail or call them. Our bodies’ feel-good chemicals are stimulated by doing for others.
Grace & Gratitude: Extend grace to ourselves. Tomorrow is a new day…keep on and don’t quit! We will get through this together and with God’s help.
*Drink water tip taken from Wendy Wheeler’s article cited above.
