It’s a very difficult time for people right now. We’re up, we’re down, everything is constantly changing and moving. As humans one of the most basic needs is certainty, and it’s certainly not there at the moment. No one really knows what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks, or further into the future.
What we can do is provide certainty within us, and draw on that certainty for strength. Nobody can take inner certainty away from you.
Self-care is about good health and be kind to yourself.
I believe self-care starts with three basics. Working out, walking and drinking lots of water. When I’m going through a tough time, I always stick to these three things. They keep you healthy, keep you active, and keeps the endorphins going.
Exercise reduces the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and increases the feel good, relaxing hormones called endorphins. Great for your mental health and your overall well being.
When you’re feeling good, you can add to that list. You can focus more on the food, making sure you eat three meals, two snacks and by cutting out mid-week sugar and alcohol. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be doing this the whole time, but I want to acknowledge how difficult this can be when you don’t feel good.
Self-care to me means working out, getting out in nature, drinking water, having breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reading a good book, journaling, taking time to read the newspaper and having a coffee by myself. Time on my own is so important. As is having healthy snacks between meals.
A big part of self-care is about not beating yourself up, if you’re struggling with bad habits. That’s not going to make them go away. You may find that you’re drinking or eating too much for a period of time. But throughout that time, keep up with the workouts, walks and water. Keep with the self-care. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
Self-care isn’t dieting, or stepping on the scales every day. That’s awful. It’s not about being a slave to points or syns, that’s awful too. It’s about being free. Working out, eating well and when you’re going through a tough time, bringing it back to basics and working out, walking and drinking water.
You can grab lots of free recipes books and kickstarts on our free tools section on our website here. to get you started. I hope this helps you. You’ll get through this, just don’t give up and keep moving forward,
Jessica Cooke. X
