Health: How to Adjust to the New Normal

The Importance of Self-Care During Trying Times

The past 14 months have been tough on everyone, especially parents with school-age children and individuals who are “social animals”, who thrive on face-to-face contact. Electronics have been vital to our connection with the outside world. But that can bring stressors.

Self-care has become so important. And it can be easy. Here are just a few suggestions:

Behind the scenes on the set of The Machinery of

Dreams.

MEDITATE.

Take 5 minutes, close your eyes and just breathe. Inhale some fresh air or maybe just the warm scent of your cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Don’t look at your phone, just BE.

MOVE.

Exercise of any kind will raise the endorphins in your brain and increase your mood and lower your blood pressure. Walk, run, dance – whatever you like. When working from home, get up from your desk during the day and dance to a song that comes across from your smart speaker. And don’t worry if anyone is watching. Just enjoy yourself.

SLEEP.

Proper rest is so important to not only our physical but also our mental health. Your brain needs to turn off so that our internal systems can rest and regenerate. Have trouble sleeping? Use a non-addictive sleep aid if necessary. Natural sleep aids such as melatonin work for many people. Others, myself included, diffuse essential oils like Lavender with Cedarwood or Orange and doze off like a baby with a full belly.

BRAIN DUMP.

Sit down with paper and a pen and just write. It may be a list of all the things you have to (or think you have to) do. Get it on paper. Then, the next day, look at it, sort and prioritize it and deal with the most important first. The other stuff can wait. Or journal about your day. The key is to empty your brain.

WRITE LETTERS.

Grab some paper, a pen and an envelop and write a note to a dear friend. Just say hello, tell them you miss them, fill them in on how you are doing. We have become too attached to emails. People of all ages love seeing something in their mailbox, handwritten, because it tells them that the sender cared enough to take the time to sit down and write.

Other things you can do for your mental health:

• Put on a facial mask – yes, even men can do this. It is spending energy on yourself and you may get a good laugh if you look at yourself in the mirror. • Read. • Develop a list of positive affirmations and read them at least in the morning. Post them on your bathroom mirror. Positive self-talk can help.

With all of that said, if the depressed, anxious, or sad feelings persist, please reach out to someone and don’t be ashamed or fearful of seeking professional help. If it is still tough to get an appointment with a local therapist, there are some extremely reputable and helpful on-line services whereby a professional can assist you in talking through the causes of the feelings. They are all confidential so your conversations are safe.

The point here is that you must take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.

Article by Katrina Cole, President, Friends of Loudoun Mental Health For more information about Friends of Loudoun Mental Health, visit https://www.loudounfriends.org/