Let’s be honest; the world today is quite chaotic.
Self-care has never been more critical in an age when we have had to deal with a pandemic, raging wildfires, other environmental disasters, and political upheaval all across the globe whilst also balancing multiple stressors, conflicting roles, work overload, relationships and family challenges.
It may seem that self-care sounds like a vague cliche. How many of us are engaging in sufficient self-care ourselves?
Self-care interventions have had promising results across many communities (personal, workplace, schools, student population) including reducing stress, increasing mindfulness, and other positive physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual changes.
Below are a list of self-care activities. Working these activities into your everyday routines, is sure to impact your day-to-day life positively. These suggestions are in addition to basic self-care practices such as exercise and sleep.
1. Meditation
There are not many activities that I see as more restorative in the long term than meditation. Taking time to reconnect with ourselves through meditation can help us live more in line with our values.
2. Mindful conversation
A mindful conversation is a great act of self-care. It involves listening with your full attention, expressing yourself honestly, choosing your words thoughtfully and carefully, and suspending judgment.
3. Exercise in nature
Any type of exercise is great but exercising in nature can be incredibly soothing. Going for a mindful walk, run, hike, or bike ride in a scenic, natural setting is an excellent form of self-care.
4. Physical contemplative practice: Yoga, tai chi, or qigong
Each of these practices involves slow, purposeful movement with an emphasis on breathing and calming the mind. They can be done in a group or independently.
Graduate students who practiced one of these three practices reported positive changes such as increased comfort in their bodies, increased ability to deal with negative emotions, and the ability to take responsibility for and communicate feelings.
Students described these activities as a “high yield investment”; spending an hour each day in these activities improved their entire day.
5. Mindful eating
We live such busy lives that sometimes eating can be an afterthought. Although healthy eating is always a good idea, we don’t always practise mindful eating.
Mindful eating involves bringing present-moment, non-judgmental awareness to mealtimes. It starts with keeping mealtimes sacred by avoiding multitasking: no studying or watching TV during mealtimes.
Eating slowly, chewing well, and practicing gratitude for the food you are eating are all helpful steps toward mindful eating. The practice is one example of how to fit mindfulness into an already busy schedule.
6. Practice one non-work-related self-care activity per week
What you do for your weekly self-care activity is up to you, but you must do it. Setting a weekly self-care goal was a vital component of a brief stress-management intervention.
Pick one activity to do for an hour each week. In addition to the mindfulness practices mentioned earlier, this activity helped decrease perceived stress and increase mindfulness. The trick is in the scheduling. For the most success, pick an hour at the beginning of each week and stick to it.
Workplace Self-Care
The workplace can be extremely stressful. It’s a place where performance demands can result in an ever-present pressure to do more, causing burnout and other kinds of suffering.
7. Start a book club
Sometimes talking with co-workers can be a drag, especially if there is nothing to talk about besides work. Starting a book club with colleagues can give you common ground for conversations that feel more refreshing than workplace gossip or complaining.
8. Pet-friendly workplace
Employees who work from home experience the benefits of having their furry companions around while they work. Workplaces could be well served by allowing employees to bring dogs to work.
This practice can also take the pressure off of pet owners to find others to walk their dog, helping them to feel less burdened and more satisfied at work.
9. Group fitness
If your company has the resources for it, consider adding group fitness classes to your perks list. Exercise in the middle of the day can help employees feel more energised and happier as the day goes on.
If group fitness isn’t available, consider using your lunch break to get your blood pumping, walk with co-workers, or practice yoga.
10. Practice self-compassion
This recommendation goes for employees and bosses alike. Self-compassion is an exciting addition to any workplace self-care intervention. By extending kindness to yourself during times of stress, you will be more able to advance understanding and compassion to others.
This type of thinking can have a snowball effect on an organisation. Whether you are interacting with co-workers in person or through your computer screen, consider treating yourself with kindness during difficult times as a way of helping your organisation as a whole.
11. Spend time alone
Many professions require many hours of interpersonal contact, and taking time to be alone can help you recharge. Find a meaningful way to spend your time alone, meditating, exercising, or doing another activity that you enjoy.
12. Learn a new skill
We spend so much time spent performing our work activities, it can be easy to feel like you are “in a rut”
Spending time to learn a new skill, such as knitting, cooking, or playing an instrument, can help make your life more varied and interesting. Be sure to pick a skill that is meaningful to you to enjoy the process and the fruits of your labour.
13. Carve out time to talk with friends
Carving out time each week to connect with those outside of your immediate ‘bubble’ can help you feel less isolated and remind you that you are not alone.
Joining a community of like-minded people to connect with is invaluable.
What ever self care activity you choose, choose it because it benefits you first. It will then have a ripple effect to those around you.