Simon Says Self-Care

SIMON SAYSself-care

story by Anastasia Sims photo by Carolina Watlington

Remember the days when the hardest thing in life was following the leader in “Simon says?” Now, hours, days and even weeks blur together, with work sometimes taking a priority over family and taking care of ourselves. But work was never meant to be the defining feature of our lives, said Steve Tyler, a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Metropolitan University. When work becomes all consuming, it is difficult to find time to take care of yourself and explore what makes us happy.

Kelly Assien, a licensed mental health counselor in Gainesville, suspects our society busies itself because we’ve become uncomfortable with being alone with ourselves. Whether it’s loading up your schedule until you have no more free time or simply staying at work late, we are a society that cannot stop going. As a licensed counselor of 17 years with a variety of clients, Assien sees one overarching trend: We busy ourselves because of unrealistic expectations.

“Sadly, our society tells us we aren’t enough if we don’t do enough,” she said. “The discomfort of being present drives the distraction.”

Assien suggests one thing to her clients: self-care. While it’s become a major buzz word in pop culture, self-care is a practice that allows everyone a chance to slow down and take a step back. The most reassuring part, Assien explained, is that relaxing is completely individualized.

Here are seven ways to slow down and take care of yourself:

1. TAKE A BREAK OUTSIDE.

Luckily, Gainesville is full of nature trails and parks like Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park and Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. This makes going outside fun and easy. Sometimes just being in the open air allows for clearer thinking.

2. DO YOGA AND MEDITATION.

As cliché as it sounds, taking time to physically slow down can make your mind slow down as well.

3. PRIORITIZE SPENDING TIME WITH PEOPLE.

When work becomes consuming, it’s hard to make time to see friends, but human interaction helps us feel connected – especially when busyness starts to feel isolating.

4. “INDULGE” IN SOMETHING THAT IS NOT MEANT FOR WORK.

Much like making time to see friends, hobbies and passions fall by the wayside when life gets hectic. If we take time out of the week to be reminded of who we are and what we love, we feel more in touch with ourselves.

5. SLEEP.

While sleep seems like the last thing on the list when you’re busy, a National Institute of Health study shows that good sleep helps improve problem-solving skills and memory performance. In the long run, sleeping might be just what you need to recharge for another busy day.

6. VISIT A COUNSELOR.

Acknowledging the busyness is the hardest step, Assien said. Once you do that, you don’t actually have to dedicate much time to it. While some of her clients visit once a week, Assien said it’s up to the individual to schedule the frequency. Seeking help does not equate to failure.

7. TURN OFF ELECTRONICS.

Assien said that in a world of technology, we are easily distracted 24/7. Getting out of your head is hard, but by taking time away from electronics, we are open to connect with each other.

In the same way that being busy is not always a bad thing, Assien said slowing down does not have to be boring. Instead of being so go, go, go, Simon says take time for you. O&B