MORE ON SELF-CARE AND STRESS RELIEF
The daily bits of humour being passed along online are helpful to me. Recently, there was a video of two airplanes taking off from a runway. The caption for the clip was “Relief is on the Way!” You watch the planes fly over the countryside to a nearby city. They fly lower just over the streets and being to drop rolls of toilet paper to the eager waiting public below. Although, the effect of the humour is temporary, other options run a bit deeper, have more payback.
Here are a few other self-care, stress relief stratagems you may find helpful:
A New Morning Practice
Select or create one new simple healthy habit to include in your daily morning routine. It could be drinking a glass of water when you wake up. It might be doing five minutes of stretching, journalling, or focussed meditation or prayer. You can even make enjoying your morning cup of coffee, tea or smoothie a slow, savoury, visceral experience.
Adopt another different healthy habit
With gyms and local parks shut down and closed, try to build a new routine that includes physical fitness, healthy eating, and sleep! Especially if you don’t need to drive or commute to work at this time, use those minutes or hours to develop a new healthy habit. Be intentional about it. For instance if you don’t need to pack a lunch or go out for lunch, create a game plan for healthy eating throughout your day. Try some things new. Try smaller meals with some healthy snack breaks in between. Enjoy the process of preparing the meal (and the clean up too!)
This is also an opportune time to catch up on sleep! Go to bed 1 hour earlier than your normal routine and do your best to turn off devices 30 minutes before bed.
A Few Mindful Minutes
You may be familiar with a “One Minute Mindfulness” book. Not bad, but five minutes is even better. Begin by taking some deep breaths, slowing down your heart rate, becoming physically relaxed. Endeavour to clear your mind of the jumble of racing thoughts or worries that may be flitting around in it. Choose something on which to devote your attention and focus; e.g., a daffodil. Observe it, smell it, touch it gently, appreciate it for its own inert beauty and being and contribution to the web of life – for four minutes or more. End your five minute break time with a prayer of thanksgiving, or appreciative silence.
Consider other options for a focus: a photo in a family photo collection, a glass of wine, a song on the radio, a short poem, or gazing out a window at whatever you might see.
Stay safe. Stay well. Stay in touch with others. Stay connected to God.