I want to finish this series of posts, with 2 things that I feel are very important. This post is all about care – self care and care of loved ones. So many of us are struggling, so its vital we look after ourselves and others.
Self Care
Self care is an important thing to look
into, to keep some sense of normality, like I have previous said. Not
only that, but spend a lot of your down time focusing on things to
try and keep you in a happy and positive mood.
Everyone’s
idea of self care is different, but the one I feel strongly about is
having a shower or bath. Not only is it important for personal
hygiene, the warm water tends to clear my brain and make me relax.
Often while I am in there, I am able to think of ways to do things I
am struggling with. Thats because the shower is the one place I can
concentrate. Plus I am often feeling tired, and the water is good at
waking us up! Taking a shower helps to keep your normal routine from
before lockdown, but has many ‘feel good’ benefits!
Try and
find these acts of self care, which make you feel as good as
possible. Then do them on a regular basis!
Care of others
We need to check in with others, as well as make things easy for each other. When it comes to your household, the more we spend with people, the more chances there will be conflicts. Especially given the levels of stress. My suggestions are to compromise with space vs contact, and try and let things slide.
For introverts especially, space is important. Whereas extroverts will be frustrated with the lack of social outlets. So if you have both in your household, try and find a balance between the two. Having a decent amount of social time as well as time alone, is most likely going to keep everyone sane. Its difficult to find that balance, especially in a time like this. But too much of one or the other will make one party struggle.
Now is not the time to be getting everyone worked up over little issues. Given its a crazy time, people will lose focus and make mistakes at home. That’s normal, and a lot won’t even be worth mentioning. There is little point to be increasing stress levels to get a resolution to a small problem. So let lots slide and appreciate stress = mistakes. Also, expect people you live with (and yourself) to be very stressed, sad and angry. This is not a normal time, and we had very little preparation for it. So naturally, we find it hard to process. As we try to, we experience a wide range of emotions. This is normal. Just let it slide.
Missed the first 4 parts? Here is Part One, Two, Three and Four!
