Small Ways to Add Self-Care to Your Day

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you are probably experiencing some sort of depression from the pandemic. The CDC acknowledges that “communities have faced mental health challenges related to COVID-19–associated morbidity, mortality, and mitigation activities.” I don’t know about you, but every time someone sends me a Zoom invite I cringe a little bit in despair.

Mental health during the pandemic

Check Off the Basics

It sounds silly, but make sure you’re keeping up with hygiene and nutrition. Having a consistent morning and evening routine helps decrease stress, improves sleep, and can help orient you in your day. If you feel like you’re always scrambling around trying to finish up yesterday’s to-do list, you might benefit from setting a standard daily routine.

Some suggestions to add to your routine:

• Shower
• Brush your teeth
• Have a cup of tea
• Meditate
• Exercise/Yoga
• Go on a walk (take your dog!)
• Journal

Meditation Works, I Swear

I know people shy away from the word meditation, but it’s proven to work. I have seen myself the benefits from taking less than five minutes a day to breathe and be still. Today we are connected to a screen from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep. I didn’t realize until I tried taking a break how much of my daily life was entangled into my technology! I found myself finding a way out of that brain fogginess that comes with working from home. Healthline reports meditation can even lengthen your attention span. Sometimes it’s hard to take a break, but remember that you can’t get work done if you have no energy. You will eventually burn out if you don’t intentionally let yourself rest.

To infuse meditation into your daily routine, try your best to commit to:

• 1 minute every hour
• 2 minutes after a Zoom call ends
• 3 minutes when you finish a meal
• 4 minutes after work
• 5 minutes when you wake up

Photo by JD Mason on Unsplash

Single-Tasking Is In

“The quickest way to do many things is to do one thing at a time.” — Christopher Westra

A piece of wisdom I love is “just because you’re capable doesn’t mean you have to.” I don’t know who said that, but it popped into my head one day when I felt overwhelmed and guilty because I wasn’t doing two tasks at once. I thought, “I’ve done this before so many times, why can’t I do it now?” Don’t have those expectations of yourself. It’s okay to do one thing at a time. In fact, it’s probably better for you. “When you multitask, you become less effective at everything you’re juggling,” says the Timely blog. Benefits of single-tasking include improved memory and focus, less stress, and clear and creative thinking.

Try these tips on single-tasking:

• Remove distractions
• Set a timer (Pomodoro technique, if that’s your thing)
• Take regular and screen-free breaks
• Go for a walk without headphones
• Put your phone on the other side of the room
• Turn off social media notifications and have set times to check platforms

Sources

12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation

CDC’s MMWR Vol. 69

Health Benefits of Having a Routine

Single-tasking: what it is and how to do it

The Power of Single-Tasking