Let’s talk, for lack of a better term, about self-care. Even if we have issues with the term, the purpose is completely legit.

Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. It refuels us rather than depletes us.

The skeptic in you might say: Why do I need self-care anyway? The trend or commercialization of the term has mostly come about as a result of the imbalance that’s come up in many of our lives. Self-care encourages self-compassion, lets you press pause on multitasking, and cuts the toxic effects of stress. It prevents burnout, improves focus, encourages the relaxation response, and raises your immunity.

So how can you practice self-care, especially with little time or money? Here are some suggestions, though keep in mind these are all very individual:

• Stretching.
• Declutter.
• Walk.
• Nap.
  • A little trick: Have a caffeinated drink (coffee, tea), and take a 20-30 minute nap. It takes around 30 minutes for the caffeine to kick in, so once you get up, you should feel completely rested.
• Meditation. 
• Reading.
• Lotions and oils.
• Tea.
• Podcasts.
• Do nothing.
• Deep breathing.

This is all about injecting pleasure breaks and doing things to reduce our stress hormones and break us out of fight-or-flight. And if it doesn’t feel natural, be sure to try and schedule it.

Resources:

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