Self-Care in isolation

During this time we are facing a number of challenges, even those who have never had any mental health issues before are finding it difficult, it is difficult to have limited social interaction, boredom and the stress that comes with fear, fear of loss of income or employment or even of the virus or for loved ones all of which is valid and completely justified.

So, what self-care measures have you implemented?

Obviously each household is different, ours is a house of four, two adults and two young kids, so our self-care time is limited and often interrupted and more often than not it has to include the kids, which is fine, as a usually very busy pair of professionals it has been a blessing getting uninterrupted time as a family with no rushing to get somewhere. But time to yourself and time for you and your partner and time with each child and time as a whole family are all equally important.

Now is a great time to care for yourself and do all the things you have put off doing or have not had time to do.

• Tidy your wardrobe – with so many people losing hours at work or losing their job all together now is a great time to make donations and best of all even if you too have lost work well this may still be something rewarding that you can do to help others.

 

• Declutter the rest of the house – getting things organised around the home may show you what is really needed and may save you money when you find things you forgot you have or show you what you no longer need.

 

• Reading - is a great way to escape reality for a while and with the constant bombarding of COVID-19 information who doesn’t need an escape.

 

• Meditation – this may have been on your list of things to try for some time, well now you have time! There are heaps of free guided meditation apps and videos on YouTube. Or have a look for a local business offering online meditation. I personally love a “body scan” meditation for relaxation of the whole body.

 

• Yoga/Pilates – again maybe this has been on your list for a while or maybe you are experienced, either way yoga is a great way to care for your body and mind. We are lucky to have some amazing local businesses that offer online Yoga and Pilates, check out; Absolute Yoga, Eureka Osteo, bodyBEgood, and many others. If you have kids you could also check out some kids Yoga channels on YouTube, we have tried the Cosmic Kids channel and the kids loved it.

 

• Walking or Running – we are still allowed outside to exercise (at the time of writing this) so why not clear the mind with some light or intense exercise. If you are worried about seeing others while out on your walk you could try a bush walk, something we love to do as a family and often don’t see a single person while out hiking, if this is new to you make sure you stick to well-marked tracks, no one wants to end up lost in the middle of nowhere!

 

• Exercise – with gyms closed down they have had to evolve to continue to bring in income, to get in some exercise and to help a local small business survive why not try some of the online content that has been created.  

 

• Gardening – being out in nature is so important for your mental health, sleep and immune system, so it is the perfect time, even for those with no green thumb what so ever, to get outside and do some gardening, planting, weeding, pruning etc.

 

• Art and Craft – this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a great way to express yourself whilst being soothing, and no one said it needs to be good, just fun. I have been painting. If you are wanting to learn something new check out YouTube, there are some great instructional videos on there for just about everything.

• Construction and DIY renovations - This one is not for everyone! but if you want to give it a try and don't mind if it doesn't really go to plan then jump in and give it a go. We have commenced building a chicken coop, bird/guinea pig enclosure and a tree fort for the kids. 
  

 

• Bath – If you love a bath and own one (I unfortunately don’t have one in my home) then make some time for it, tell the kids they are not allowed in the bathroom maybe set them up with a movie (depending on their age). If you have some add some bath salts or bath bombs, and if you don’t and want some bath salts let me know I stock both Epsom salts and Magnesium flakes and can arrange for contactless payment and delivery to Ballarat or postage.

 

• Music and Dance – Movement is so important and can help with pain and to express yourself, even when no one is watching or if you don’t want anyone to watch it is important to find a way to express yourself and music is a great way to escape and clear the mind.

 

• Puzzles, board games and video games – these are great alone and (can be) as a family. If they are going to cause war between you and your partner or kids maybe consider what you play carefully!

 

• Writing – another way to express yourself and clear the mind.

 

• Pets – If you have pets showing them some extra love can have a good effect on you also.

 

• Education – Now is the perfect time to take up the opportunity for some reduced fee or even free education, or if you are still working/earning an income even starting something you have been wanting to do. I do plan on refreshing as much knowledge as possible and gaining as much new information as possible also. With the kids home why not teach them something new also.

 

• Cooking – I love baking, it can be very relaxing but be careful not to prepare too much that you and the family can’t get through all of it.

 

• Connecting with family and friends – call, text, Facebook messages, facetime, skype, email, zoom and snail mail it doesn’t matter how you do it, but if you are feeling secluded and lonely someone else will be too.

 

• Self-massage and massaging your family – in this time of limited social interaction, it is so important to receive caring human touch where possible and with massage declared a non-essential service and all closed, now is the perfect time to massage yourself and your loved ones and hopefully they will massage you too. There are many references for this on the internet, easily found with a Google/YouTube search.

Well I hope this gives you some more ideas on ways to entertain yourself while in isolation. Remember to take care of yourself and your loved ones, we are all in this together and if we do the right thing, we will all come through the other side hopefully sooner rather than later.