SELF-CARE - A POWERFUL COUNTERACT TO GROWING PANDEMIC IMPACTS

“You can’t pour from an empty cup”. Does this sound familiar to you? This is a very popular saying that reminds us about the importance of self-care.

In a world where stress continues to mount, self-care is undeniably indispensable. Having healthy relationship with yourself cultivates the right measure of confidence you need to face challenges. In other words, it makes you capable to overcoming hurdles in a heavy situation. Moreover, self-care plays a significant role in stress management. The more you take care of yourself, the better you manage your stress.

People have been taking care of themselves in various ways long before the outbreak of the coronavirus. However, without a doubt, more and more people now are getting under considerable stress because of the impacts that the outbreak gave birth to. How can we better take care of ourselves now?

Unplug. It is true that we need our gadgets more now as it’s been dominant means of communication for the past few months. However, being overly attached to our gadgets may negatively affect our soundness of mind. The more we scroll down, the higher chances of seeing an unwanted content. So make sure to set some time away from your gadgets, and try some active recreation.

Find a physical activity that suits you. Our mental health is connected to our physical health. For instance, we cannot think clearly and make appropriate decisions when our body’s extremely exhausted. Doing some physical activities that suit your interest can be of good help as it yields benefits such as lower blood pressure, better and even faster recovery from hospitalization, healthier state of mind, brighter mood, and so on.

Practice Self-Affirmation. Mohammed Qahtani said, “Words have power, words are power, words could be your power also”. Yes, we have the power to influence others with what we express. It can even change other people’s lives. So why not speak to ourselves kindly as well? In a bleak situation, it is best to practice self-affirmation. Doing this on a daily basis can help us concentrate, not on the obstacle, but on our goal and the ways we can achieve it.

Determine unwarranted thoughts. Our stress may at times come from how we think of things. Stuffing our mind with unhelpful thoughts may result to higher stress levels. We take care of ourselves the way we take care of a garden. We uproot any weeds that may be detrimental to the growth of other plants.  According to John Kehoe, the instant we recognize that we are thinking a negative thought, we end it. By doing this, we can free our mind from negativity.

Many are the avenues to take care of ourselves. We must now do our best to find approaches that best match our interests and needs. We acknowledge that the world now needs more care and support. That care and support starts with taking care of ourselves. The more we take care of ourselves, the better we can take care of others.