Why practice self-care?
Prioritizing your self-care can be extremely helpful when you are trying to combat your anxiety. Anxiety and worry feed off of stress. When people feel overextended, it is easy for them to become overwhelmed with stress. Practicing good self-care is a great way to decrease excess stress and anxiety.
Many people struggle with self-care, because they tell themselves that they don’t have time. For most people it is usually last on the list and they never get to the bottom of the list. Therefore, they say “I will practice self-care when…(fill in the blank).” However, we need to change how we think about self-care. Self-care should be a priority. It should be the first thing on our list, for a couple reasons.
Prioritizing Self-Care
First, self-care doesn’t require going to a spa retreat for the weekend and ignoring the needs, calls or texts of everyone we know. Although something like that may have its place and time, at the basic level self-care is simply doing something for you. It can be short and simple. You can spend 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour or 5 hours. It could be reading a book for 10 minutes, taking a 20 minute nap or taking a hike for a couple hours. Self-care can be whatever you need it to be in that moment.
Second, when we are taking good care of ourselves we will be able to do better for others. Many people make their own self-care a last priority because they are completely focused on taking care of the needs of others. While it seems like that should be the priority, you deserve to feel your best and those we love deserve to experience you at your best. The easiest way to do that is to not let yourself run down to the level of a ‘run-ragged mom’ or a ‘frazzled dad’. So, start doing little things for yourself once a day, once a week or a couple times a month. Whatever you can manage is great and it’s okay to start small. This will help you stay rejuvenated for yourself. However, it will also help you stay present and energized for those around you.
Here are 5 self-care strategies to decrease your anxiety symptoms:
1. Create a routine. Having a consistent routine is good for the mind and body. Many people experience anxiety because they are worried about what they have to do and what they may forget. Part of that is because they have too much to do. However, often the anxiety also comes from the stress of trying to squeeze everything they have to do wherever they can.
Creating a routine or schedule for bill paying, chores, work/meetings, exercise and self-care activities provides consistency and organization to your life. This decreases anxiety because everything is on the schedule and you aren’t worried that something has been forgotten.
2. Pick a quiet place. Everyone needs to be able to take time out. Sometimes it helps to have a calming place to do that. Do you have a room in your where you feel particularly relaxed and peaceful? Maybe you enjoy sitting out on a back porch or a front porch swing? If you prefer to get away from your house, find a quiet spot nearby your house that is usually isolated, easy to get to and safe. Try spending a 15-30 minutes there when feeling stressed or anxious.
3. Find some distractions. Do you struggle with things going around and around in your head. Create a list of activities (such as movies, games, reading, etc) that helps distract you. Use this list when feeling anxious to keep your mind occupied.
4. Don’t forget to exercise. Regular exercise is healthy for your mind and body. After exercising, people often feel that their mind is clearer and their mood is lighter. The physical exertion is also good to relieve stress. Consistent exercise often results in overall decreased anxiety.
5. Learn how to prioritize and say NO. We cannot do everything from everyone. The effort to do so can result in feeling anxious because you are adding more to your already full plate. Creating a schedule of your current tasks and commitments will give you and idea of how much free time you have for that week. Then, determine what your priorities are for that remaining free time. So, when someone asks you to do something, check your calendar. If it is not a priority and it doesn’t fit into your schedule, it is ok to say ‘No’. The more you practice saying no, the easier it gets to do it!
How to get more information on Anxiety Therapy
If you are interested in seeing a counselor for anxiety and feel that we might be a good fit or if I could provide more information on treatment for anxiety, call or contact me to schedule an appointment or inquire about a free consultation.