why practice self-care?
During times of stress and emotional intensity, it’s important to cultivate regular self-care practices. Emotional Intensity needs to be filtered out of our system. Otherwise, there will be emotional buildup. Emotional buildup that isn’t processed and healed creates a negative chain reaction that looks like this:
Emotional Buildup leads to Emotional Overload
Emotional Overload leads to Emotional Overwhelm
Emotional Overwhelm leads to Emotional Dysregulation
Emotional Dysregulation is constant worry, anxiety, panic, depression, anger outbursts, constant irritability, and fear.
10 Self-Care Tips to Practice Before, During and After a Crisis
Breath Practice – Use Diaphragmatic breathing to regulate the brain and body with breath.
Mindset Practice – Be aware of your thoughts and feelings. Practice positive statements and self-affirmations and challenge the brain with something new (i.e. learn a new language, learn new procedures, learn new terminology, learn a new strategy).
Physical Practice – Diet (eat something nutritious 3x/day), Water Intake (not water alternatives, like Sports drinks); Shower daily and all basic hygiene (brush teeth, wash face, comb hair) - signs of wellness. Fitness (stretching, chair yoga).
Behavioral Practice – Participate in productive, fulfilling and pleasurable activities in order to balance out the chaos and remain grounded.
Creative Practice – Do something with your hands (make, bake, build, plant, construct, compose, draw, sketch, paint, develop, choreograph, invent, write, produce, sing, sew, stitch, crochet, etc).
Nature Practice – Spend time in natural settings. Unplug and enjoy water, mountains, air, trees, plants and earth. Enjoy what the planet has to offer.
Communication Practice – Verbal, non-verbal, eye contact, body language, silence. Is your communication style one-sided, aggressive, irritable, agitated, fearful, domineering, self-centered or is it kind, considerate, open, malleable, flexible, or strengths-based? Maintain assertive expressions with authentic responses (such as yes, no, not now, not right now).
Spiritual Practice – Meditation, prayer or other connection practices that allow you to identify your core beliefs about yourself, your soul purpose, the Divine, God, Consciousness, Creation. Deepen your self-awareness with introspection about what you truly believe, and how this impacts the various ways you show up in the world.
Love Practice – Be willing to love yourself. Notice how it feels to give and receive love. Give it and receive it generously if you can from people, pets and plants.
Mantra/Power Phrase Practice.
