At the beginning of the pandemic, I coined a phrase once I saw how normal coping strategies were not cutting it anymore. Instead of telling people to practice self-care, I began telling them to practice Self-Care on Steroids!
Yes, that phrase has gotten a few laughs. But more importantly, it has shifted the conversation about the intentionality we must bring to taking care of our mental health and wellness as everyone on the planet’s stress levels sky-rocketed.
In a nutshell, practicing self-care on steroids means
- Taking a look at your current self-care routines and identifying:
- What is working (and keep doing that)
- What is NOT working as well (and changing that)
- What is NOT working at all (and scrapping that)
- Adding new routines, one small step at a time
Take out some paper and a pen and indulge me for a moment.
What is Working with Your Self-Care Routines
Write “What is Working” on your paper.
You may have some really great self-care in place already. You know it’s working well when you skip it for whatever reason and find yourself missing it. This is often the smaller stuff you are doing on a regular basis. Things like brushing your teeth, taking vitamins, supplements, or medications, exercising, etc. Take time to write down all the things that are working for you.
What is NOT Working As Well with Your Self-Care Routines
Write “What is NOT working as well” on your paper. Then draw a vertical line to create two columns.
Maybe you have some strategies that are still working but maybe you’re not feeling the same benefits. You don’t want to take these out of your self-care routine. In the left column, write down the things that still work but not as well. Now go back and for each item, in the right column write how you could modify the routine. For example, let’s say you know you need exercise to feel your best, but you notice that it’s harder to squeeze it in your schedule. Brainstorm ways you can modify your exercise, even if just temporarily. Maybe you break up a 20 minute routine into 2 10-minute routines, or switch the time of day you exercise.
What is NOT Working At All with Your Self-Care Routines
Write “What is NOT working at all” on your paper.
These are the strategies that just flat out aren’t helping you anymore. Perhaps binge-watching Netflix before bed was a great stress reliever for a while but now it’s preventing you from falling asleep at a reasonable time. Time to get honest about the things that aren’t working. List those on your paper.
What New Self-Care Routines Can You Add
Brainstorm a list of things you’d like to try adding to your self-care routine. Maybe you’ve heard great things from friends or family about a strategy you’d like to try. This isn’t about overwhelming yourself, but rather identifying new things you can try adding to your self-care routines that might provide some benefit.
Now that you have your lists in plain view, it’s time to make some changes. I share how to start making those changes one step at a time in my article, Self-Care on Steroids: Step 2: Making Small Changes to Your Self-Care Routine.
If you’d like some more support with your self-care, check out our wellness services.
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