Self Care During These Times
Where do I even begin? So much is happening right now, on Turtle Island and in the world, it’s starting to feel overwhelming. So, this month, instead of sharing more new information with you about administration things, I thought it would be beneficial to talk about self-care.
Self-care is so important! It’s about knowing yourself and your needs and implementing things that will help you maintain momentum without feeling burnt-out. Taking care of yourself reduces stress levels, promotes good health, and helps you get things done when needed. What I am about to share with you I learned through years of therapy and learning the hard way (ex. by being forced to take a year off school and months off work). So, let’s do this!
First off, it’s hard to get to started without knowing where to begin. The important thing is to take a check of your workload, your stress levels, how exhausted you are, and things that are adding to your stress. Are you working too many hours? Taking on too many tasks? Trying to keep up with too many issues in the news? Make a list of the things that are adding to your stress. Then write down how you can reduce these challenges, or things that you can do away with. Now you know what measures you can take to help yourself feel better.
Here are some things that may help:
Try going to bed and waking up at the same time. This will help you maintain a regular schedule and help you feel refreshed and alert.
Try eating balanced meals regularly, or just eating regularly. If balanced meals aren’t easy, then just eating something, a granola bar, a yogurt, a chocolate bar, is better than nothing. Once you eat at regular times, then you can add more food groups.
Keep on top of hygiene. Brush your teeth and wash your face consistently every morning. Again, this helps you keep a routine and helps boost confidence.
Limit your time doom scrolling social media or intake of news. I enjoy scrolling through articles every day. Going through the news every hour was not helping my stress. So, now I scroll maybe 2 to 3 times a day. This way I stay on top of what is going on but avoid bombarding myself with bad news consistently.
Choose which issues you want to focus on, instead of taking stock of everything going on. I was taught by Elders that everything is interconnected, which means that helping trans and nonbinary folks stay safe does impact helping stop the war in Gaza or Ukraine.
Find out what actions you can take to influence the issues going on: buy Canadian, boycott Starbucks, share resources with at-risk communities. There is so much you can do to bring about change.
Curate your Instagram or TikTok feeds! Choose which accounts put a smile on your face or help you relax. This makes social media fun and lighthearted.
Take note of who you interact with. People who are constantly talking about the news, or constantly complaining will bring you down. Limit your time with these people or just don’t spend time with them.
My favourite tip: Take time to do things you enjoy, whether or not they feel frivolous or out of place. Do an at-home mani or pedi, go try on fancy clothes at the thrift store, buy that tamagotchi!
I hope this helps you navigate the world right now. Good luck! I know you got this!
