Life can be stressful at times, especially with an ongoing global pandemic. Between new routines, canceled events, and the glooming feeling of uncertainty, it can be easy to get swept away by all of life’s curveballs. In this article, we’re going to share five different self-care tips you can use to set yourself up to enjoy more and stress less this year.
Self-care Tips #1: Financial Care
One unique way to care for yourself financially and reduce financial-related stress is to create a plan. All too often, it is easy to allow stressful situations to take over your life due to money or lack thereof.
This plan can include building a savings account, paying off any extensive debt, or redefining your budget. While these tasks seem small, over time, these will help you manage where your money goes and create more planning practices for the future.
Another broader way to reduce your financial stress is to take action to protect your family’s financial future. For example, you can accomplish this with a life insurance policy or a savings account. Savings accounts are great because they earn interest over time, and the death benefit from a life insurance policy is one untaxed lump sum of money.
The thought of not being able to care for your family once you’ve passed financially can be a significant burden. If you don’t already have a savings account, set up a meeting with your bank to get one established. If you don’t have a life insurance policy, look into your options on choosing the right policy for you and your family.
Self-care Tips #2: Physical Care
During times of stress or uncertainty, you might feel extra energy to work out and take care of your body, or you might be feeling depleted and lacking motivation.
It’s important to remember that taking care of your physical body can influence how you feel mentally, lowering stress levels.
For example, meditation can help declutter an active, stressful mind by allowing you to focus your attention, therefore eliminating the fleeting thoughts that cause stress. While many think that meditation requires you to sit on a couch cushion with candles, you can actually practice meditation in nature, at your desk, and even right when you step foot out of bed.
Another way to focus on physical self-care is to focus on massage. Stress can cause the body to tense up, making simple activities challenging to complete. To help alleviate this stress and give your body the care it needs, give thought to scheduling time for monthly massages.
If this is out of your budget or comfort zone due to the current pandemic, purchasing a neck or shoulder massager can help in the same way. You should feel less stressed with less tension and might even sleep better!
Self-care Tips #3: Mental Care
Stress undoubtedly takes a toll on your mental health and psyche.
Practicing mental self-care means taking steps to stimulate your mind to reach maximum mental tranquility. While this may mean something different for everyone, Here are a few ways to hit the “relax” button on your brain:
- Unplug your mind by reading a new or favorite book
- Tune into and get inspired by listening to a podcast.
- Try brain-building puzzles like Sudoku.
If you notice that changing your routine isn’t helping declutter your mind, consider speaking with a professional counselor or therapist. With virtual visits, you can discuss your stressors with someone from the privacy of your own home, and more importantly, you can get an idea of how to navigate these stressors for the future.
Self-care Tips #4: Social Care
Before 2020, it might have been commonplace for you to take a social break, hang out with friends, attend an event, or even take a vacation.
With the current COVID-19 pandemic, many stress-relieving social gatherings and plans have been put on hold or altogether canceled. This can cause stress for several reasons, including not seeing friends and family initially planned.
To help with this, consider implementing ways to still see your friends and family, either virtually or from a socially distanced perspective. For example, set up a virtual cooking competition with your best friends, or host a distanced dinner party for your family.
This is also a perfect time to evaluate your relationships; if someone is more draining than uplifting, perhaps it is time to discuss how to improve.
Self-care Tips #5: Professional Care
While it may not be something you think about readily, taking care of yourself can reduce stress in your day-to-day life. Professional self-care can be considered an action that promotes feelings of balance and fulfillment in your job or career.
For example, setting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” at the end of your workday can give your mind a pause until the next day, therefore eliminating potential distractions. Implementing some positive habits that allow you to be your most productive self will help you feel more accomplished and, in turn, more relaxed.
Another way to promote your professional self-care is to take a mental health day to rest and recharge when needed. If you notice you have trouble focusing or are easily stressed at work, consider taking the day off.
While you might think that it’ll burden you to be missing a day, remember that you will be more apt to work through those challenging problems causing the stress in the first place with a clear mind.
There is no guaranteed way to make life entirely stress-free. By imposing self-care routines in various aspects of your life, you can help reduce the amount of stress you are carrying, instill some productive habits that make you feel good, and inspire yourself to make your year the best it can be.
