These habits have helped me greatly over the past few weeks. When my mood dips, when I feel defeated, when I’m worried about the future, I do these small things below and they help me to feel a bit lighter and more energized. Here, three simple (and free) ways you can practice self-care today.
1. Take 3 minutes to check in with your body
Have you ever been so engrossed in a task (or, eep, an Insta scroll) that you didn’t realize until a while later that your neck is aching or your shoulders feel super tense? What about when you have a pounding headache, but you just power through the day and try to ignore it? I’ve done all of the above.
That’s why meditation is so essential to me—it gently forces me to stop, tune in to my body and mind and acknowledge how I’m feeling, rather than ignoring my body’s calls for rest and relaxation.
If you’re not into meditation (or only have time for something quick), try this mindful body scan:
Sit or stand in a relaxed upright position where you have a bit of privacy, if possible. Close your eyes.
Tune in to your body and focus as completely as you can. How do you feel? Is your forehead scrunched up? Is your neck tense?
Scan through your body, from head to toe.
Start by tightening and then relaxing your forehead, then your jaw, your shoulders, your hands.
Tune in to your chest. What are you feeling there? Maybe a bit of tension? Try to imagine it releasing from your chest.
Move down the rest of your body, tightening your muscles and then releasing: your abs, your torso, your glutes, your legs, your feet and your toes.
Then, eyes still closed, take a few deep breaths.
Open your eyes. How do you feel?
This is also an amazing practice (inspired by a meditation in the Calm app) to do before you go to sleep, when you’re lying down in bed—relaxes your body in the most wonderful way. 😴 If you’d like to explore more meditations, the team at the Calm app created this wonderful page full of free resources. (P.S. This isn’t an ad, I just love the Calm app!)
2. Move your body every day
Exercising daily can seem like a lot when things are “normal,” let alone during a pandemic. I used to think that working out each day wasn’t a realistic or achievable thing for me (or something I’d even want to do!). But I challenged myself and created a habit about six months ago to work out in some way every day and, whoa, has it made a difference in my mood and my energy level.
I’m not doing super intense workouts—some days it’s yoga, some days it’s a walk around the block and some days I’ll do a more cardio- or HIIT-focused workout.
You know intuitively that exercise is important—this isn’t a ground-breaking notion. What I’ve found is the best benefit of exercise is how it makes me feel: more confident, more connected to others, more hopeful, more capable of taking on the world. There’s research to back this up. The coolest part is you can work out at home for free (Yoga with Adriene is an amazing resource) and create these same changes in how you feel, too.
If I can make working out a part of my everyday (without a gym membership, expensive equipment or leaving my home), you can do it, too. 🙏🏼
3. Create a to-do list with just 3 things on it
I called in to a career-focused webinar last week and the best piece of advice came at the very end, where the host essentially said this:
We’re all emotional creatures and we crave a sense of control. One way to accomplish that is to make a to-do list every day with three things (just three!) and methodically work through each task. The to-dos could be work-related or things you want to get done around your home or just simple self-care reminders (or a mix of all three).
The point is to keep the to-do list short, achievable and to challenge yourself to check the three things off. The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day is a major win, and a mood-booster. 🌈
I hope these tricks bring you a bit of joy during such a tumultuous time. I’m sending you lots of love.
Heather xoxo