Practicing Self-Care During COVID19

During the COVID19 pandemic, it has become increasingly important that we take care of ourselves. Most of us experienced stress on a daily basis before COVID19 changed our routines, and now the changes may have impacted us even more. Thankfully, there are several ways to take care of yourself during this stressful time. Keeping reading to learn a few tips on practicing self-care!

Eat Regular Meals
Making sure you're eating meals regularly throughout the day can greatly impact your mood and stress level. Reduced or increased appetite during stress is common, so be sure to practice balanced eating.

Stick to a Sleep Schedule
Sleep is one of the first things that gets impacted by high stress. Practice healthy sleep hygiene by sticking to a regular bedtime and wake time. Try limited your screen time before bed or at least put it on night shift mode. 

Find one thing to do daily that makes you feel competent and productive
Pick an activity that easy to do and can be built upon and do it daily! This can be something like making your bed, picking up your home, or any talent or skill you have.

Consider limiting your media intake
Even though we all want to know what's happening during the pandemic, but check-in with yourself on how it's impacting your mental health. Taking a break can look like limiting media intake about the pandemic to one time per day or not viewing media before bed.

Exercise daily
Exercise is linked to our mental health, and daily exercise of at least 20 minutes can help promote mental wellness and reduce anxiety and depression. Think about movement that you enjoy and give it a try. Some examples are swimming, walks, run, stretching, and yoga.

Self-care can be a helpful way to maintain or improve mental health and wellness. If you find you're feeling more stressed than usual, consider scheduling an appointment to see how I can help!

Take care for now,
Julia Harris, LPC

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