Self-Care

Breathe... practicing mindful breathing several times daily helps to lower cortisol levels and helps us to become grounded in the here and now. Fill your lungs with air and notice how that feels to your body focusing only on the breath for at least one minute. You can set a reminder on your phone to do this several times a day. Like Faith Hill said “Just Breathe”

Meditate! Focus on a spot between your eyes known as your third eye and try to empty your thoughts. If thoughts come into your head push them away. It takes practice to get to the quiet part of our minds and remain there but it can be done and it is blissful when we can achieve it!

Sunshine is therapeutic so get outside and breathe some fresh air!

Check in with friends! Video chat or send a message to stay connected with the people closest to us. We are all going through this.

Write some affirmations and tape them up where you can see them often. “I am strong and healthy. I am safe and secure and I will get through this” or whatever it is you need to remind yourself of. It can really help when the anxiety creeps in.

Create something. Whether it is music or art or just a clean, beautiful environment, being creative helps lower those stress hormones and makes something beautiful for the rest of the world.

Laughter (the best medicine). Finding the humor in the worst situations is what gets healthcare workers and first responders through some very tough things. We gotta laugh!

Turn off the news and turn on some music! You won’t miss anything! We all need to take a break from it once in a while so we don’t feel so helpless!