With the current state of the world around us, self-care has never been more important and can also, be useful during the time between scheduling and attending your first therapy session.

Question: What is self-care?

Answer: Simply stated, self-care is taking action to ensure the preservation of one’s mental and physical health.

Question: What might self-care look like for you?

Answer: Self-care can be observed in many forms, whether it’s going through your morning routine of getting yourself ready to get out the door and off to work or run errands, participating in hobbies or activities, having a good conversation with a friend or co-worker, or even settling in at night and getting ready for bed. Self-care has been proven to be effective in helping us to feel better and to think more positively.

In the technological age that we live in some of us have the option of working remotely from just about anywhere in the world. For some of us, this might even mean that we are working from home; if so, this can result in stress as one might feel like they are always at work. For this reason, it is important to set up a small workspace in order to differentiate between work and home, it is even more important to separate work and sleep spaces.

Another tool that is gaining popularity is that of mindfulness applications, these tools aid in slowing breathing and thoughts and increasing one’s ability to better manage daily stress. If you feel like this might be helpful for you, there are plenty of applications that can be found in the application stores of Apple and Android devices. In addition, one might also consider making a list of new activities that they might like to try, or places that they might like to visit. A list of positive activities and family or social supports can be a very helpful tool, I encourage people to make these lists and post them around the house to allow for easier access.

Question: What are the basics of self-care?

Answer: The basics of self-care include establishing and maintaining a healthy diet, making sure that you are getting enough sleep, and maybe even working out.

If you do want to establish a workout routine, this might include joining a gym, going for walks, or maybe even joining some online workout groups or classes. You can find some pretty good workout videos on YouTube, Zoom, and other social media platforms. What about watching the news or spending time on social media? Most things are good in moderation; that being said, one should consider limiting their intake of news programming and social media. Both fortunately and unfortunately, we live in a time where technology is advancing by leaps and bounds; but constant monitoring of news and social media only seems to result in further elevation of our stress and anxiety. Some individuals choose to limit their exposure to these platforms to less than 20 minutes per day.

Remember: Mercy, Grace, and Forgiveness

Be kind to yourself and to those around you, we are often much harder on ourselves than we deserve. Instead of beating yourself up for something that did not go as you might have expected, acknowledge that things did not work out, take a step back and consider “What did I learn?” This can be a very freeing thought, we shift from a failure/success mentality to a more experiential mentality, and we also gain knowledge that we can carry forward. So have mercy, grace, and forgiveness, not only for others but for yourself as well.

Learn more about Stephen McCrea

Stephen is an LMHC in the State of Washington and is Provisional Licensed in FL  and a veteran of the United States Navy. He has worked in community mental health, in various therapeutic roles, since 2016. Stephen works with children, adolescents, and couples, and has a passion for helping others to overcome obstacles and to achieve a higher quality of life. He is dedicated to his clients’ care and services Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, and surrounding communities. Stephen approaches each client as an individual in a compassionate and empathetic way. Book an appointment by contacting Stephen today.