Wellness & Self-Care
Prioritizing your wellbeing requires you to be intentional about your mental health and wellness. Enter: self-care!
Is self-care really for me?
Taking care of our mental health and well-being is for everybody. And it doesn’t necessarily look the way you think it might. What do we mean when we say “self-care”?
At the end of the day, self-care is about making space and time for things that make you feel happy, fulfilled or mentally relaxed. It’s about the small decisions we make every day, and making time for activities that are purely for our own benefit (think: what makes you feel consciously happy or calm? Fill your life with more of that)!
Everyday choices
Self-care includes doing things to take care of yourself—things you’ve heard before—like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and getting regular exercise. These things directly impact our mood, energy levels, and ability to focus. Building these activities into your routine helps you stick with them, even when it feels hard.
Want some ideas for self-care activities to try? Flip through the following cards to browse by category…
Relaxing
(Examples include: Taking a warm bath with essential oils, reading a good book in a cozy corner of your home, practicing mindfulness meditation to relax your mind)
Active
(Examples include: Attending group fitness classes at your local gym, playing your favorite sport with friends, dancing to your favorite music in your living room)
Creative
(Examples Include: Painting or drawing as a form of self-expression, writing in a journal to explore your thoughts and feelings, learning to play a musical instrument)
Nature
(Examples include: Going for a hike in a nearby nature reserve, gardening and tending to your plants, having a picnic in a local park)
Social
(Examples include: Hosting a dinner party with close friends, attending a social club or group that interests you, scheduling regular video calls with long-distance loved ones.)
Mental Stimulation
(Examples include: Solving puzzles or brain teasers, taking an online course to acquire a new skill, engaging in deep philosophical discussions with friends or in a book club.)
The lists go on and on–but start with something doable, that makes you feel good. Whether it’s focused inward, deepens your connections with people you love, or gets your endorphins pumping, self-care should be about increasing our joy and fulfillment.
Seasonal Depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Winter can be a tougher time for a lot of people. Days are shorter, the sky is darker, and it can be harder to connect with others, get outside, and do those things that bring many of us joy in warmer months. You may just be feeling a little bit down in the short-term, or you may have a more serious condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is a type of depression that comes and goes with the change in season. If you’re concerned about your mood or or mental state, talk to your physician. There are lots of options that can help you feel better if you have SAD or another type of depression.