Cultivate Your Mind & Body Wellness
It is Time to Re-Energize Yourself!
September 2020
"Begin anywhere."—John Cage
Now that school is back in session, my family and I have been working on creating routines for work & school that will keep us sane. And I continue to look for ways to re-energize myself on a daily basis. For the past two Fridays, my energy level has been so low in the late afternoon that all I wanted to do was take a nap and SO I have worked on giving myself permission to do just that. Because that was what I needed to re-energize and have a great weekend.
It is essential to Re-energize yourself to cultivate your mind and body wellness! It's not something you just hear about and store away in your mind somewhere but it's something we need to PRACTICE every day. Take a few moments to RE-ENERGIZE yourself TODAY. Try one of the many re-energizing activities from an area of your choosing. Explore what re-energizes you and DO It. You need & deserve this!
Let's Talk about Self-Care
There are many types of self-care strategies, including sensory self-care. Sensory self-care is a strategy that helps you become aware of the sensations around you, so you can be more present in the moment allowing for anxieties to fade away.
Sensory Self-Care Ideas:
- Feeling the water on your skin during a hot bath or shower.
- Lying down and listening to music with your eyes closed.
- Sitting in the heat of the afternoon sun.
- Having a small square of the most delicious chocolate.
- Holding a pet in your arms.
Your Focus & Mindset
What do you focus on most of the time? Are you focused on what you prioritize and value? What about your overall mindset? Are you content with your choice of your every day mindset? How would you like to shift your focus and mindset?
Right now there is more focus on health than ever before, yet we are working on going back to "normal" and our focus needs to find a way to shift towards our daily activities. With the increase of stressors around us, some of our attitudes have been poor at times, yet we also need to find a way to shift our mindset to more of a perspective of positivity.
So how do we shift our focus and mindset? Positive Journaling is one effective way to improve your mindset. Make a point of recognizing positive experiences throughout your day, however big or small and at the end of your day write it down in a journal. This will help you focus on the positive and become more aware of them throughout your day with the end result of improving your overall mental well-being!
Fuel for Your Body
Start becoming aware of what your eating and how different foods make you feel. Not just how they taste, but how they make you feel a few hours later or the next day.
Healthy Brain food snacks Ideas:
- Blueberries
- Nuts
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Kale chips
Sleep
Did you know that poor sleep puts you firmly in the most vulnerable category, making it more difficult to be resilient to everyday stressors? Poor sleep has been linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health issues. Healthy sleep is important to any successful health & well being routine. So go ahead and sleep on it!
Today become aware of your sleep habits and purposefully decide if there is anything you want to change about them.
Connect to your Positive Relationships
Supportive social relationships can appear differently for each person and each relationship can provide different types of support. Informational support is one type of support that provides guidance, advice, information, and mentoring.
Whom today can you reach out to for some informational support?
Staying Physically Fit
The thought of exercising may sound like too much, yet staying fit doesn't have to be some big ordeal. It can be made to be simple. Focus on activities you enjoy doing, like walking, yoga, dancing, cleaning your home, etc. If you like, make exercising a social activity including your co-workers, family, friends or neighbors. (Staying physically distant of course=)
Schedule a vigorous walk during your one of your breaks at home or at work myself or with another. Take some time to give yourself some energy where every you are!!
Finding Meaning & Purpose
We need our lives to have meaning. As humans, we need to have something that we are committed to and/or passionate about, a purpose. Often it is directed toward helping others or helping the world.
There is much evidence that purpose in life actually positively affects one's health and wellness. So what matters to you? Are you committed to it and response passionately about it?
Meaningful/Purposeful Interests:
- Art
- Cooking
- Reading
- Recycling
- Gardening
- Politics
- Social Justice
Be Well for Now & Always,
Take Care & Be Well!