Showing posts with label self care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self care. Show all posts

5 Ways to Remember Self-Care During Recovery


Self-care is very important

Prioritizing yourself over everything else is the first and the most crucial step towards recovery because not only self-care crucial for healthy mental well being, but also indispensable when it comes to physical wellness and seeking balance.

Whenever we are recovering, we can often be tempted to quickly go back to the "normal life" but  fail to realize that rushing through the process can sometimes set us back and lengthen the recovery process. Furthermore, self-care helps to encourage happiness and self contentment with life; self care allows you to live life to the fullest, while being more present in each experience.

In the following section, we share some tips to prioritize your self care when recovering mentally or physically:

Have a routine for yourself

Having a routine can be helpful in self care and aiding in progressing your recovery. Before your schedule gets fully booked consider incorporating specific times or days in your calendar for activities that you enjoy.

Keep it simple however, as the routine should be realistic and not overwhelming so that you can turn towards it like a ritual and do it with consistency - the objective is to unplug yourself from the regular tasks and obligations, drop everything and attend to your own needs.

One example of this could be to include in your routine “wellness days” or similar dates where you will be blocking time and dedicating the time to reconnect with yourself.

Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

When many people think of “self-care” they think of meditation, massages or yoga, however what self-care really means is anything that triggers you to focus on yourself; activities that  bring you enjoyment which can also mean new and creative hobbies. 

By allowing yourself to explore and discover different activities, it allows you to find out what feels right for you and being open to new, unexpected adventures.

In this process of self-discovery, it’s important to put aside self judgement if those activities aren’t the same activities before your recovery - often times, these activities may no longer interest you, or it may be that your body has changed during the recovery process.

Seek assistance from a professional

When dealing with recovery, it can be helpful to have a healthcare professional on your team to help you navigate the highs and lows, and also support you mentally or physically, especially if there are new symptoms that can arise.

“In addition to helping you navigate through new symptoms, they can also help you see things from a more holistic perspective, says Dr. Sarah Bennett, a naturopathic physician at Natural Med Doc, as well as help you reframe your experience during difficult times.

Having a healthcare professional with extensive training can be beneficial in helping you balance out your current emotional and physical wellbeing, as well as balancing your self care with recovery.

Listen to yourself

One of the best sources of how we are doing from day to day  is by listening to our bodies, particularly our energy, pain levels and our emotions; paying attention to its prompts and actively attending to our needs.

If you are feeling more exhausted and irritable, it may be time to pace yourself and give yourself even more self-care, as these are internal prompts to rest and limit external stimulation.

Remember that in recovery not everything will be the same as before; embracing the physical emotional and mental changes, listening to yourself and accepting your new normal can be helpful in moving through the recovery process.

Focus on the essentials

In the recovery process, it’s not uncommon to want to get “back to normal” as soon as possible, however, we can fall prey to distractions and become incredibly busy, which can make things overwhelming and be draining towards your energy.

Simplifying and focusing on the essentials can help prevent you from becoming overwhelmed and exhausted - sit back and take a moment to inventory the things that matter to you, and only do those things that would be the most impactful on your health and wellbeing, as well as delegating tasks to others. .

"Urgent" doesn't necessarily mean vital or important, nor does it indicate that you must drop everything you’re doing to focus on it - keeping things simple and prioritizing the  essentials can help to prevent you from feeling overwhelm during the recovery process.

In Summary

When it comes to self-care, it’s important to prioritize the essentials, schedule time for yourself,  listen to yourself  and be open to the process of self-discovery.

In coming back to a new normal, it’s important not to rush the  process as it can halt your  progress, understanding that some things won’t be the same and remembering that recovery is also about finding a new balance.

Having a professional in your team can also help you by supporting you mentally, emotionally or physically and helping you to balance self-care with recovery.

 Notes:
This is a guest post written by Katherine (Tori) Lutz
Freelance Writer, Editor & Social Media Strategist
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-tori-lutz-55609512b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Torilutz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torilutz/