Self-Care During DIfficult TImes
Here are some self-care tips we have found helpful for people experiencing difficult times or situations.
Remember to take your breaks and lunch hours. It is important to get away from your desk. Stretch and release the tension that has collected in your mind and body.
- Meditate or sit quietly when you begin to feel stressed. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nostrils and exhale slowly and fully, allowing troublesome thoughts to dissolve.
- If you have an exercise routine, maintain it to minimize the effects of pent up pressure. If you don’t have a routine, check with your doctor before you begin one, but try to start getting some exercise. Even a walk at lunch time can help.
- Make sure that you continue to eat regular and healthy meals. Junk that “junk food!”
- Sleep is the time that you renew and refresh. Make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.
- Avoid your intake of alcohol and caffeine, both of which can rob you of energy, disrupt your sleep and increase the stress on your mind and body. Remember alcohol is a depressant and in no way allows you to cope with the stress and demands of your life.
- Avoid over-committing yourself. Remember, it is alright to ask for help when you need it.
- Finally, it is important to have someone in your life that you can talk with about your stress, frustrations and needs. A person separated from the concern is much more likely to see things clearly and objectively than a person that is stuck in the middle.
- Remember the EAP is available to support you during difficult or uncertain times. Call anytime. Services are of no cost to you, your spouse or domestic partner, and immediate family members; and are confidential.