How-to: Finding Time For Me; the importance of self care breaks.

How many times a week do you sit down and do something for yourself? Do you stretch or go for a walk? Is there something you do daily to care for yourself?

I had a professor who once noted that if you ever observe a cat, cats stretch every time they get up, and many times throughout the day. At the beginning of each class we would begin with anywhere between 5-10 minutes of stretching where we would focus on finding our center and taking care of our bodies. Since taking her class I have made efforts to stay consistent with checking in and finding my focus. Not only have we not normalized stretching, but many of us have not learned how to check in with ourselves or what the best way to pay attention to our bodies is. Many days I get home at the end of the day and realize that I have done nothing for me that day, these are the days I feel most mentally drained and physically exhausted.

If you missed last week’s blog, I went on about the importance of journaling and provided some examples of useful prompts for different days. Feel free to check in with that blog and the examples listed, but, journaling is not the only way to check in with yourself. One way to do that is to jot down any examples of ways you are feeling throughout the day to keep some sort of log, Be it 30 seconds and one or two words or two minutes and a few sentences, noting the ups and downs of your day is a really good opportunity to loosen up your mind and get your thoughts collected. It also keeps a running record of things you like to do, things you’d rather not do, and the ways you’ve managed to complete all your daily tasks. Writing down sentences like I feel grateful or I feel frustrated can help you navigate your brain and it’s tension and serve as a really good opportunity for stress relief and release.

Another way to check in with yourself is through breathing exercises. Many times we don’t realize how tense our bodies are and how much our mood or our day might impact us physically. Taking 60 seconds to close our eyes and practice breathing exercises creates space for us to realize when and where we are tense and then release it. This is also a great exercise for anyone with anxiety or for anyone who tends to feel like their days can get away from them. There are all different types of apps for breathing exercises and short meditations, one of my favorites is Headspace. I also enjoy the breathing apps that come for smart watches, but the best way I find to do it is away from your device as you are inhaling for 3 seconds and then exhaling for 3 seconds repetitively until you feel you’ve calmed down or feel relaxed. This exercise has helped me in many situations where I feel too overwhelmed by my current situation and just need to mentally and/or physically clock out.

The last tip for today, also probably the least surprising tip, is stretching! Stretching is a great way to start and end days of course, but if you find yourself with extra time either at work or on breaks, go to a secluded area and just stretch quickly. Our bodies are oddly like machines, think of the tinman from The Wizard of Oz, he needed to be well oiled in order to work and move his limbs and whenever he ignores it for a while he stiffens back up. This is probably the most efficient way to ease tension and to “oil” our limbs. It is also just a really great way to treat ourselves and pause and remind ourselves how much our bodies do.

Starting a new habit can be complicated and starting new habits all at once can be frustrating and counterproductive. I would say if any of the listed above techniques sound appealing, start with one. Get really good at it, and then add another one on. This gives you the chance to learn how to make time for the personal things you need to do to take care of you. My favorite out of these three is breathing exercises, they really help me remember I am human and deserve breaks. Which one of these do you think you would practice most?