TOp 3 SELf-CARE TIpS DURING COVID-19

“Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.”

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TOP 3 SELF CARE TIPS DURING COVID-19

By: Sandena O. Neely, Certified Health Coach

Sounds familiar? This phrase is a part of the safety demonstration on an airplane and will be used as a backdrop. Self-care is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being (health) and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” Read and say it out loud.

Anyone who has not been living under a rock for the last 7 months should be acquainted with the terms, quarantine, curfew, lock down, social distancing, new normal, and COVID-19. These terms give an accurate picture of the current state of the world. With so much going on, it is critical to place self-care as a priority. Here are 3 Self-Care Tips to serve us during COVID-19:

1. Set Intentions

Jennifer Williamson states that “Intention is more than wishful thinking—it’s willful direction.” During these COVID-19 times the importance of setting intentions cannot be overstated. Organizing our schedules is a good practice, however, setting our intentions goes deeper. This speaks to actualizing our days and wilfully deciding how we show up. There is much uncertainty from one day to the next, so setting our intentions can give some level of certainty as to our mindset and reactions. Boundaries is an act of self-care. It decreases our susceptibility to unhealthy environments and its effects. Knowing your limits is increasingly important during COVID-19. Be direct and firm with your boundaries. Limit your availability to all forms of media and even certain people. Look honestly within yourself and set achievable boundaries. Use this time, guilt-free, to do the internal work if you have not done it before. Guilt often creeps in when we practice self-care. Reconcile those feelings and remember our overall well-being; adorning the mask to ourselves first is the highest priority and it enables us to serve those around us more effectively.

3. Detox and Sleep

Detox isn’t a dirty word. Detox is essential. We have all become more tense, eating more, our circadian rhythms are out of sync, and our usual absorption of information and toxins is at an all-time high. Consider scheduling regular detox: smartphone (turn off your phone for an entire day, resist urge to use phone while eating or talking to people), physical (eating whole foods , increasing water intake), social media, (unfollowing negative people, turning off push notifications), spiritual (fasting, praying), surroundings (declutter home, workspace and car). The benefits of detoxing and getting adequate sleep are immeasurable. Benefits include improved energy, weight loss, stress reduction, less brain fog, clearer skin, enhanced immune function, reset of bodily systems and so much more.

American Poet, Audre Lorde in A Burst of Light: And Other Essays, is particularly firm and instructive: “caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is selfpreservation and that is an act of politi-

2. Set Boundaries and Time

cal warfare.”