As I noted on my social media, I was dark for the month of February as I mourned the passing of my dog.  I engaged, or attempted to engage, in self-care to assist with my grief.  I thought it would make sense for my blog post this month to reflect on the successes and failures that I noticed and pass on that information on. Self-care has become a buzz word in counselling and pop culture of late.  People talk about it as a concept; however, they don’t often discuss the details of what it means and how you can practice it.


Self Care DOs:

  • Find the things that bring you joy, amusement, make you smile, make you feel safe, make you feel at home, make you feel comfortable, etc.
    • Here are some things on my list: yoga, reading, drinking tea, having a bath, meditation, walking, spending time with friends and family, spending time alone, spending time outdoors and in nature
    • Your list could include such things as: running, cooking, baking, other forms of exercise, going on vacation, listening to music etc.
  • Find a small amount of time - even 5 minutes is good to start - do to one of these activities in your day
    • You only need to do a small piece, i.e. reading a chapter of a book or finding a recipe to use the following day
  • Find time every few days to do activities that take more time - such as going to the gym or cooking a meal
    • Bonus if you can combine activities - i.e. exercising outdoors or listening to music while cooking
  • Start to make the self-care activities part of your routine
    • The best way to get into a good self-care practice is if you do it consistently

Self Care DONT’s:

  • If you’re feeling too tired, burnout, etc., one day it’s okay to give yourself permission not to it
    • While self-care activities can help overcome these feelings, if doing it seems like it’s going to have the opposite effect then it’s okay to skip a day
  • Don’t let skipping one day become a habit or turn into a negative thought that because I didn’t do it yesterday there is no point in doing it today
  • Don’t think that self-care has to take a lot of time or needs to be a big thing
    • People often say that they can’t do self-care because they don’t have time
    • Self-care doesn’t mean you need an hour or more and that the activity must involve exercise
      • If this is the thought process it feels overwhelming and unattainable

I hope that this is helpful to you when trying to create and maintain your own self-care plan.  If you’re still struggling to figure out where to start or there are other barriers, such as mental health struggles or trauma, consider reaching out to a counsellor to help you with this.

Catherine Sullivan

Catherine Sullivan

Counsellor

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