Are you feeling stressed about the pandemic?  If you are, you are not alone.  In fact, you may only be alone if you aren’t feeling anything. Many Hoosiers are finding it difficult to make sense of the isolation, the worry, the fear, and the myriad of emotions surrounding our current predicament. It’s a good time to chat about why self-care and looking after yourself.

A Self-Care Routine

The good news is that there are many ways we can look after ourselves during this time of uncertainty.  If you have never established a self-care routine, now is a great time to start.  Who knows, maybe once the quarantine ends, we will emerge as a culture that has gained the important skills of gentleness and nurturing toward ourselves and others.

If you are wondering how to get started, here is a list that provides some tips and pointers for self-care during the pandemic:

  1. Permission to feel: A difficult emotion is our body’s response to something that doesn’t feel right. One of the biggest obstacles sitting between us and a decreased amount of stress is the bevy of huge emotions we are faced with on a daily basis.  The best way to care for yourself is to give yourself permission to feel these emotions, to acknowledge the reality of our collective situation.  This leads us into self-care tactic number two.
  2. Check out: Create time in your schedule in which you shut down your electronics, media, external noise, and you focus inward. You can sit in quiet meditation, use the time for contemplation, or you can engage with loved ones.  Having some still, quiet time every day will help everyone in your home feel grounded and more steady in the wake of this uncertainty.
  3. Keep up with healthy habits: If you ate well and exercised before the pandemic struck, then continue these healthy behaviors.  Eating a well-balanced diet is key in supporting an optimal immune system.  Daily movement, whether it is taking a walk or jog or just doing a gentle yoga class online, is vital in maintaining a healthy state of mind and, therefore, lowered levels of stress.  Get outside every day (when weather allows) and see how it impacts your mental health!
  4. Sleep: As always, make sure that you are getting enough sleep at night. If it is difficult for you to sleep because of insomnia or heightened worry, try some gentle movement before bedtime and don’t rule out naps.
  5. Stay connected, at a distance: Meet a friend for a 6-foot-apart walk or chat, call friends via video, or send emails and texts to keep relationships thriving during this time.  Maybe even take the time to plan a social event with friends to support local restaurants and shops once the quarantine is over!
  6. Routine: If you are the kind of person who thrives on a routine, then create your own and try to stick to it.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate, just make sure it is something that you can stick to and that will help you to feel a sense of normalcy.  Anything that grounds your during this uncertain time can be a really valuable thing.

Because #GreenfieldCares, we are performing a really important task by staying home and staying safe.  Whether you are a self-proclaimed self-care guru or this is a new concept to you, we encourage you to use one or all of these tips in order to maintain a healthy emotional state during this time of uncertainty.