When you are feeling overwhelmed in life, it can seem impossible to make healthy decisions during stressful times. So, how do you save yourself? Practice these 4 types of self-care.
Often times self-care takes a backseat when life gets a little too rough. How do you stay true to your nutrition and fitness goals when you’re in the midst of emotionally, physically, and/or financially exhausting times? The truth is that it’s HARD. Let’s be REAL here, you might find yourself in a few too many drive-thru’s, having way too many happy hour nights with friends, skipping gym sessions and just overall not making productive decisions. We’ve all been there, but it’s important to learn how to get through these times in a healthy way versus blowing it all to the wind. By practicing these 4 types of self-care, you’ll learn how to make healthy decisions during stressful times.
Emotional Self-Care
First, accept that you’re a human being and give yourself a break. Allow yourself the time to take it easy, grieve, be sad, or cry – whatever you need to do. This time is essential to recovery. Be kind to yourself and show yourself some compassion. But give this time a deadline and once that deadline arrives, you need to commit to start placing that energy in a more positive direction. And even if that’s not really how you feel, fake it until you make it and block out those negative thoughts. If you can’t make it past this first step, consider reaching out to a therapist for a session or two. Don’t be above reaching out for help and improving your mental health to get you in a good headspace, it could not be more important to do this.
Spiritual Self-Care
When going through transitional times, the most difficult aspect to accept are all of the things changing that you have zero control of. And, if you’re anything like me – I’m a type A control freak, nothing ruffles my feathers more than losing control of my life, finances, and/or emotions. So how do you not fall into a downward spiral? Focus on what you can control.
Examples of Things in Your Control:
- Yourself and your responses
- Your nutrition
- Your decision to workout or not
- The cleanliness of your home
- The people you do and do not surround yourself with
- Taking time out for YOU and loving yourself
- Getting outside
- Your happiness
- The effort and energy you give to things
- Meditation or doing yoga
- Building and enjoying a safe haven
- What you prioritize
…and the list goes on. That’s a list of so many key factors of life, so start celebrating your control!
Physical Self-Care:
Be Physically Active
You know what is the best way to expend depressive and anxious energy? Being active. Go for a run, hike a beautiful trail, ride your bike, go swimming, or lift some weights. Just get out there and start MOVING. I promise you will start to notice a difference in your moods. Expert hint: go to your music library and create a killer playlist to fuel those workouts! 😉
Get Your Nutrition Back on Track
While drive-thru’s are severely convenient, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. When you’re not eating well, you’re not feeling well. It’s that simple. Eating out all of the time also gets expensive! So, grab your reusable grocery bags and head to the store to fill our fridge with lots of healthy options for the week. Meal prep your lunches (if you need tips on how to get started meal prepping check out this blog post) for the work week to save money and so you’re not tempted with those treats your co-worker brought. STICK TO YOUR GOALS. You are worth it.
Social Self-Care:
I know we don’t want to admit that our parents were right, but you are who you hang out with. Surround yourself with like-minded, progressive individuals or take some time out for yourself. If your inner circle fits that bill, fantastic! If they don’t, just know that setting boundaries is an okay thing. Don’t let the work you are doing internally become sabotaged because you want to maintain a social calendar. This doesn’t mean to become enemies with your circle of friends, it means that maybe you should take a break from them for a while. I promise you that you will only be better for it. Having a support system of people that build you up is priceless. This can be family members, friends or even a co-worker. My best advice is to select your support wisely because not everyone wants to see you do well, unfortunately.
At the end of the day, only you can save yourself! Give yourself a hug, be good to yourself and put yourself first. Not in a selfish way but in a self-respecting way. I hope this helps you to know how to make health decisions in stressful times in the future.
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