19 Self-Care

6 Self-Care Dimensions

TO HELP LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE

Self-care is a conscious action taken to promote physical, mental, and emotional health. There are many aspects to self-care. Consider self-care as deliberate actions that are a part of our everyday tasks. Like ensuring you get enough sleep every night or stepping outside for a few minutes for some fresh air. Self-care tasks can be assessed as a multidimensional process of engaging in strategies that promote your health and enhance your overall well-being. Self-care is essential to building resilience and pivoting away from stress. You can work on eliminating stress daily. When you actively take care of your mind and body, you practice a daily ritual necessary to live your best life. Self-care is a daily task, just like brushing our teeth or preparing food. We would never purposefully forget not to do these daily tasks. Unfortunately, many people make excuses. Making statements like, “I don’t have time for that.” Or “I cannot meditate. I could never sit there and do nothing.” Many people view self-care as a luxury rather than a priority. Yet, it is the same naysayers that suffer from feeling overwhelmed, tired, and ill-equipped to handle all of life’s challenges. Being mindful of our self-care can help during difficult times or when a flare arises. It is essential to assess how you are caring for yourself. There are six dimensions to focus on to ensure you care for your entire mind, body, and spirit. Suppose you think of a wheel or a tier. For the wheel to roll correctly, a few factors need to be in check. There should be no holes, leaks, or tears. Routine maintenance is required to ensure integrity. If one area gets overused or seems to be overinflated, it makes a bumpy ride. What will happen over time is the wheel will break, and repair or replacement will be necessary. There are six self-care areas to focus on: physical, social, professional, psychological, spiritual, and emotional. The center of the wheel is you. We need to balance these dimensions to maintain a healthy, well-rounded you. Let’s look into each aspect. 1. Physical Self-Care You need to take care of your body if you want it to run efficiently. There is a strong connection between your body and your mind. When you care for your body, you feel and look your best. To work on your physical self-care, ask yourself: - Are you getting enough quality sleep? - Is your diet fueling your body well? - Are you taking charge of your health? - Are you getting enough exercise? The central part of physical selfcare is how you fuel your body. Treat your body with kindness, respect and honor your body like a temple. Caring for your body includes tasks like attending your appointments, taking your medication as prescribed, and managing your health as a part of self-care. Even simply relaxing and taking time for a massage can help the physical body. 2. Social Self-Care It is easy to run out of time and neglect making time for our friends. Over time that failure can sever a relationship. Socialization is a crucial part of your well-being. Each one of us has different social needs. The goal is to figure out your needs and make time in your schedule to create an enjoyable social life. Questions to ask yourself:

- Are you getting enough face-to- face time with your friends? - What do you do to nurture and build your relationships with your friends and family? Certainly, our social life has significantly transformed this past year, making it so important to reach out to your friends and family now more than ever. To have a good friend, you need to be a good friend.

3. Professional Self-Care Professional self-care involves being conscious of your workload stress and balancing your tasks. You need to take notice of your well-being during your daily work tasks regularly. Relegating stress at work and using de-stressing activities on breaks and outside of work

can help create a better balance. We spend a great deal of time at work, right? When we do not make time for ourselves consistently, the stress can follow us home.

On the same note, some people may not be able to hold consistent work because of health issues. For many, this could be a void in their life that they want to fill. There are ways to still contribute to the workforce. Some people are unable to hold a full or part-time job. Looking for opportunities with volunteering or mentorship programs can help to fill that void. Getting involved with organizations is a great way to maintain a professional aspect and fill that self-care need. Some things to think about:

- Evaluate your workload. - Create a healthy workspace. - Differentiate work time with personal time. - Stay organized. - Start with small changes to get back into the workforce by volunteering. By evaluating these bullet points, you can identify the areas to work on and improve your situation. Successfully managing a work-life balance is key to working on your professional self-care, like working on taking a walk on your lunch break. You can start incorporating deep breathing exercises during the day and talking with your colleagues about managing the workload. Alternately, take the initiative to reach out to your favorite organization to see if there is a way you can contribute. These are all great attempts to make changes. 4. Psychological Self-Care The way you think and the thoughts that influence your mind are a part of your mental health. Psychological self-care includes you given any thought to your spiritual life? To help reflect, ask yourself:

doing things that keep your mind strong, like brainteasers or learning something new. Or maybe watching an educational program online or a documentary on television can inspire you to learn something new.

Psychological self-care also includes doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Practicing self-love or removing negative self-talk are examples that we previously wrote about in Living with Lupus Issues 3 and 4. These are great psychological tools to help you maintain a healthier inner dialogue and better self-care. Here are a few questions to consider when you think about your psychological self-care:

- Do you spend enough time on ac- tivities that stimulate you mentally? - Do you practice healthy self-talk? Focusing on your psychological self-care can prompt you to realize that reaching out for help may be necessary. Simply recognizing that you may need help from a mental health specialist or joining a support group to help you build healthy psychological self-care skills.

5. Spiritual Self-Care Nurturing your spirit is not just about religion. Research shows that people with a solid connection to faith and or spirituality generally live a healthier lifestyle. Practicing a deeper connection and understanding of religion or the universe can help to deepen a sense of self-meaning and purpose. Practicing spiritual self-care can be enjoying a deep meditation, attending mass, or practicing a routine prayer like a novena or saying the rosary. Whether you are religious or more spiritual, have

- What questions do you have about life and your experiences in life? - Do you feel fulfilled with your spiritual practices?

Taking the time to reflect on these questions and answers will give you a better understanding of the areas you can explore to build stronger spiritual self-care. 6. Emotional Self-Care Our final dimension of self-care is emotion. Learning techniques to manage strong emotions like anger, anxiety, and sadness are useful life skills. How we manage or express our feelings is essential. You do not want to bottle up feelings or ignore how you feel. One way or another, those hidden emotions will express themselves in an unhealthy way. Ask yourself these questions to help identify your strategy:

- Do you practice a healthy way to process your emotions? - Are there certain activities that help you cope or manage your feelings? After you identify your coping strategy, assess if you would consider it a healthy way to manage and process your feelings. Talking through your emotions with a close support person or making time to enact coping strategies is essential to incorporating healthy emotional self-care into your life. After reading this article, take the next step by identifying your self-care wheel. You are the center of the wheel and deserve a life of balance and joy. Look into each dimension and fill in your self-care practices with each practice you

currently do. Determine if there are areas that you need a little help. Or, if you find yourself neglecting some of the six self-care dimensions, take time to reevaluate each section and see where you can make adjustments. Remember to start with small changes. Look at your schedule and place time in your day just for you. Our Chapter is here to talk with you and support you. We have patient navigators ready to help. We are here for you on your journey with lupus. We are passionate about helping you find the right path to live a fulfilled life. Self-care does not have to be expensive or take a lot of time. But it is time that needs to be invested for your well-being. Check out some easy self-care life hacks that you can do at home. There is no need to spend extra money on your self-care strategies. It only requires time and a conscious effort to make changes.

Fill in your current selfcare practices and work toward balance.

Self-Care LIFE HACKS

Simple things you can do at home with items you already have. This is an easy and inexpensive way to give yourself a little self-care.

Take the time to rejuvenate with spoons. Yes, with spoons right out of your drawer. Relax, unwind, and rejuvenate your face! 1. Smooth forehead furrows with a clean, cold, dry tablespoon! (Using two dinner spoons works well for this). Place the spoons, beveled side down on the center of your forehead. Make small circles for 20-30 seconds. Smoothly slide the spoons toward your temples and make additional circles on your temples for 20-30 seconds. This can help release tension, and aids in relaxing the muscles.

2. De-puff your eyes! Get your spoons from step one and chill them. Dip your spoons briefly in ice water or run under cold water and pat them dry with a clean towel. Then place spoons directly under your eyes. Hold the position for 30 – 40 seconds under each eye. The cold temperature is the important step. It helps to reduce swelling and will help your eyes look less puffy. It also gives you a refreshed feeling once complete.

3. Make your cheeks rosy! Move your spoons toward the end of your nose, under your cheekbones. Apply light pressure and begin to make small circles for 30-40 seconds. The circular motion will increase circulation and help bring blood flow to your cheeks giving you a youthful, rosy tone. 4. Tone your jawline! Next, gently glide the spoons toward the top of your jawline. In one smooth motion sweep the spoons down toward your chin. Repeat the motion for 3040 seconds. Messaging your jaw line will help release tension, and improve muscle tone to prevent sagging.

5. Plump your lips! This time use only one spoon and make a large circular motion around your lips for 30-40 secs. This message will increase the blood flow to your lips giving a fuller appearance and will also help smooth away fine lines and wrinkles.

Self-Care LIFE HACKS

Homemade Coffee Scrub

Here are some simple things you can do at home with items you may already have at home. The benefits of coffee scrubs are numerous and come primarily from two sources: the exfoliation of scrubbing with coffee grounds and the beneficial anti-inflammatory properties of compounds found in coffee beans.

8 Benefits of Using A Coffee Scrub For Healthy & Glowing Skin

- It reduces inflammation. - It improves blood circulation. - It gives youthful, radiant skin. - It removes dead skin cells. - It reduces puffiness. - It improves the texture of your skin. - It reduces the appearance of cellulite. - It adds a glow to your skin.

How to Make a Homemade Coffee Scrub:

Ingredients 1/2 cup fresh ground coffee (Fresh are best, but dry used grounds will work as well) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup melted coconut oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Tip: Choose fine grounds, as the coarse kind can be too harsh for sensitive or delicate skin. Instructions

1. Mix together 1/2 cup fresh ground coffee and 1/2 cup brown sugar. 2. Add 1/2 cup coconut oil with the coffee mixture and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. 3. Mix until well combined.

4. Gently rub the mixture over your body. Leave it on for several minutes. Rinse thoroughly. (Be careful if using the scrub in the shower, as the oil can make the floor a bit slippery.)

Homemade Sugar Scrub

A homemade sugar scrub is a great alternative to store bought. It is a great exfoliant and moisturizer in one. Massage a small amount into your skin in circular motions for 20 seconds. Rinse with water and gently pat dry. Your skin will feel brand new and incredibly soft and plush. The sugar scrub makes a great gift too. You can make a large batch and put it in cute little glass jars that can be reused. You can use it on your hands, feet, legs.

How to Make a Homemade Sugar Scrub:

Ingredients 1/2 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup sugar (I use organic sugar cane) *Optional: 2 tablespoons citrus zest (such as orange, lemon or grapefruit) OR 10 drops of your favorite essential oils such as lavender, eucalyptus etc.

*Optional: 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil 1. In a small glass bowls stir to combine room temperature coconut oil with sugar using a spoon or fork. Add the optional zest, essential oils or vitamin E oil if using. 2. Transfer to an airtight container, seal tightly and store at room temperature for up to two months. If you use the citrus zest it will have a shorter shelf life.

*** Disclaimer: remember if you have any active skin lesions, allergies, or inflammation to check with your physician prior to using any of these recipes and/or suggestions.