Stress is becoming an issue. Countless numbers of people face pressure daily: work, school, family, etc. These stressors existed before COVID-19, but the recent pandemic worsened the burden on many of us. The increase in stress calls for communities across the nation to become more resilient in dealing with unforeseen situations. To be more resilient, however, people need to be well-versed and well-practiced in the art of self-care. With increased stress, it is now more important than ever to find the proper self-care routine for you.
What is self-care?
Though seemingly glamorous, anyone can do self-care. Self-care has taken on a glamorous appearance during the 21st century. We’ve all heard the term doing retail therapy or seeing people going out to spa days and lavish vacations in the name of self-care. While self-care looks different to everyone, these forms often hide more common forms of self-care practiced by everyday people. Defined as “what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health,” self-care helps us deal with illnesses and crises. Given the definition, self-care is the activities we do to keep ourselves healthy; as such, it is essential not to get stuck in doing one form of self-care (WHO).
How do we practice self-care?
Community Health Network’s counselor Veronica Cavazos, in her interview on Houston Public Media, mentions self-care is “not often utilized. . . some people don’t know how to initiate.” With so many people practicing expensive, lavish forms of self-care it can be challenging to imagine self-care accessible to everyone. However, what’s important when practicing self-care, attempting to do something healthy for yourself every day. The effort to do something healthy should not be confused with doing something good: while doing something good is not necessarily a bad thing, it can get confusing when attempting to practice self-care. The confusion comes from the fact that self-care can be:
- Living healthy
- Practicing good hygiene
- Seeing your friends
- Do something you enjoy every day
- Or, finding ways to relax
There are a variety of options when trying to practice self-care. What’s most important when selecting a self-care practice is choosing a method that can become a habit. When we habitually begin to practice healthy routines, we begin to build a healthier lifestyle. With a healthier lifestyle, people will find themselves with a firmer foundation to deal with times of crisis. of crisis.
COVID drastically changed our lifestyle. With the changes, we found ourselves and our existing stressors much heavier. By shifting our understanding of what self-care is, we can find habits and routines that fit our lifestyles. Making a commitment to these healthy habits is a commitment to setting a firm foundation. With a stable foundation, many will be able to become much more resilient when faced with stressful encounters during the age of COVID.
References and Resources:
https://mhanational.org/taking-good-care-yourself
https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/self-care-interventions/definitions/en/
https://isfglobal.org/what-is-self-care/why-is-self-care-essential-today/
