Self-care : Take Care of You

With self-isolation on the cards or a reality for many people, it’s important to find time to take care of yourself. Some people struggle with mental health issues such as agoraphobia. It must be frightening for them to contemplate bring house bound when they are actively trying to fight their issues. Now, more than ever, it’s important to explore ways to take care of your physical and mental wellbeing.

Mindfulness is an extremely useful strategy and is worth trying. There is a wealth of evidence to support the value of mindfulness as a way to cope with everyday issues, but also when there is a lot of stress and anxiety around us. Systemic anxiety can be so powerful that it can cause people who are not usually anxious to become anxious. As Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre says, mindfulness means knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment. With this in mind, you begin to focus on you and only you, and you can start a journey of rebalancing yourself into a happier and healthier state. If you would like to explore mindfulness, there are lots of tools available to help you navigate your way through this modality, such as books (my favourite being Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a frantic World which is recommended by the UK's National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) and The Little Book of Mindfulness: 10 minutes a day to less stress, more peace) as well as mindfulness activities, colouring in books, pampering, meditating etc) available to help you navigate your way through this modality.

Hobbies and crafts which you can enjoy at home, such as knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, writing, listening to music, watching TV/films, cooking, baking, etc, are excellent choices to keep you going while you are at home.

Talking to each other instead of texting and sharing meals (if you live with others of course!) are hugely important and are often taken for granted.

All these things could help and keep you well physically and mentally while the world fights this Coronavirus pandemic. Do your part by taking care of yourself and others, and remember that you are not alone in this fight.

For now, put the kettle on, make a nice cuppa tea, sit down comfortably and enjoy your well-deserved cuppa.