What’s your (self care) ‘thing’ today?

[Paula]

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What’s your self care thing today?

[Strugglingmum]

I've asked my husband to help me achieve simple tasks

[Paula]

Well done, love

[Paula]

Mind have some great tips for looking after yourself at Christmas

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/christmas-and-mental-health/christmas-coping-tips/

It can be whatever works for you. One year, I literally fell asleep on the floor when opening presents. Not ideal, but it was obviously what I needed at the time ….

[Paula]

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Mine will be Love actually. What’s you’re Christmas self care thing?

[Jaquaia]

I always watch It's A Wonderful Life. I need to make time to do that again soon.

[SJW180]

This year I have booked myself a takeaway Christmas dinner to collect so no cooking, no washing up.

[Paula]

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What’s your Christmas self care thing today?

[magie06]

Eyebrows tinted and a lovely chat with the beautician! Go me!!

[SJW180]

I had lunch with friends. So many parts on me hurt today when the others went off to do shopping I dipped. Got home and took some pain meds, changed my bed, and now cuddled up watching The Boys.

[Strugglingmum]

Nails done yesterday, hair cut planned for today. I also have to tackle the shopping as I didnt do it last Friday like I was supposed to.

[SJW180]

Do you have someone to help with the shopping?

[Paula]

Could someone have done it to help you out?

[Paula]

It’s been a busy week so far but I have got to get caught up with study - so will be mainly doing that today. However, I will be setting alarms to take time to rest.

What’s your self care thing today?

[Strugglingmum]

I have a lot of time on the sewing machine today to get things ready for a craft group on Saturday, however, I will have the Christmas music blasting

[SJW180]

I’m still in bed. Wasn’t really feeling the love yesterday but had football in the evening even though I wasn’t in the mood for it. Woke up at 7am but still yet to get out of bed. I’m totally drained and I have a Christmas jumper music quiz to attend tonight so a day of rest if I’m to have even half a chance of making the quiz.

[Paula]

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Some of these are really important to my mental well-being. This week I’m going to focus on enjoying life every day. What’s your self care thing today?

[Paula]

Make room for all types of feelings.

There tends to be an underlying pressure during the holidays to feel perpetually happy and festive. While some people may feel truly blissful during this time, 64% of people say they experience a case of the holiday blues at some point throughout the season. It’s common for this time of year to bring up feelings of sadness, stress, anxiety, grief, and loneliness.

Should these emotions arise, we might sit with them as an act of self-care. While this can admittedly be uncomfortable, we can use meditation to navigate these feelings in a way that may help us feel much better in the end.

Meditation offers us a chance to step away from the thinking mind and instead focus on the breath, rather than our thoughts and emotions. This anchors us to the present moment and calms the mind. In stepping back from all our storylines and ruminations, we are better able to observe what’s going on in our mind; the more we observe, the more we realize we don’t have to get caught up in all the mental noise we self-create. As we learn how to acknowledge thoughts and feelings that arise during meditation, we learn to give them less weight and meaning, so we start to release them — allowing us to move forward and form a clearer, calmer, more contented space. (www.headspacecom)

[Paula]

So, I had a conversation with my counsellor yesterday where she suggested that, given my progress with my degree, I probably didn’t have to push myself and stress myself out as much as I have been. This morning I intended to start prep for my next assignment but couldn’t keep my eyes open. With Kay’s words ringing in my ears, I decided to stop.

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What’s your self care thing this weekend?

[Paula]

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[Paula]

Part of my course covers Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and I thought this interpretation of it was definitely relevant. Can you consider doing a self care thing today that can help you move through the levels? (From edutopia.org)

https://i.ibb.co/SwvC6sw/IMG-1244.webp (https://imgbb.com/)

[Paula]

Find your little big thing :)

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/?WT.mc_ID=PPC_MentalHealthGen_WMHD23&gclid=CjwKCAiAiP2tBhBXEiwACslfngAUElPKsWcZPxbahSJD fh98p3miVSv0hldo2nNSqtFG_wnK7mlxiBoC5e4QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Paula]

Self care doesn’t have to be expensive

https://i.ibb.co/XFg655M/IMG-1280.webp (https://ibb.co/NWPfNNb)

[Strugglingmum]

Today it's a walk in the fresh air

[SJW180]

I had a haircut and a shower and put on clean PJs.

[Paula]

This is especially true today…..

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[SJW180]

I’m trying. It’s been a bad start to the day already. Got an emergency vet appointment this morning.

[Paula]

What's happened?

[SJW180]

Puppy has been throwing up when she eats. Noticed this morning a worm in her vomit which is not good. Thankfully, since being given antiemetic jab and another dose of dewormer she seems to be doing ok. She’s so tiny and been through so much in her short life already :( Gotta take her back tomorrow for a follow up but it’s hopefully gonna be ok.

[Paula]

After a long day yesterday, and another one today, I know I’m going to need to give myself some self care moments - but won’t have a lot of time. So….

“Quick and easy self-care practices (5 to 10 minutes)

Dance: Enjoy moving to your favorite tunes to uplift your mood.

Listen to music: Relax by listening to music you love. Take a break from the daily grind with this Midday Relaxation Playlist — the perfect accompaniment to a lunchtime walk or meditation.

Practice mindfulness: Stay present and reduce stress by being mindful.

Read regularly: Dive into books that stimulate your intellectual curiosity or provide escapism.

Meditate: Set aside a few minutes each day for meditation to help clear your mind and foster a sense of peace and balance.” Calm.com

[Paula]

Self care has been a bit hit and miss recently, so I’m hoping I’m hoping to try out this challenge. Can your self care thing today involve anything from Day 1?

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