MINNEAPOLIS — ***Deep breath in***
***Deep breath out***
***repeat***
2020 has been an emotionally challenging year --- with the pandemic, election discourse, and October snowstorms. Now we’re heading into holiday months with less daylight, more darkness, and cold temps.
It’s time to take a break --- and give ourselves a break. UCare’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Julia Joseph-DiCaprio says daily self-care is important. Dr. Julia’s self-care checklist includes: Schedule; Move; Breathe; and, Learn.
SCHEDULE
Dr. Julia says the best way to practice daily self-care is to schedule time for it. Set aside 30 minutes every day for “me time”. Find an area in your home where you can limit noise and distractions. Take technology breaks. That may mean putting your phones or tablets in a different room while you take time for yourself.
MOVE
Exercise releases endorphins. Those are chemicals in your brain that produce feelings of well-being. Do what moves you. While the weather permits, take a walk outside. A quick Google search will connect you with free exercise videos, podcasts, or apps. Join a Zoom yoga or fitness class. Work out with homemade weights like soup cans or water-filled milk jugs. Again, Dr. Julia says the key to a home workout routine is scheduling time in your day to do it.
BREATHE
Breathing is part of the autonomic nervous system. These are body functions that work automatically. Put simply, you don’t have to ‘think’ to breathe. Your body just does it. It rare for most people to consciously think about inhaling and exhaling.
During the chaotic upheaval of 2020, controlled breathing is one daily self-care tool that Dr. Julia says will help you cope during troubled times. Controlled breathing is often combined with meditation or spiritual focus. Setting aside 20-30 minutes each day for deep breathing and meditation will help you maintain focus throughout the day and may even help you sleep better at night.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institute of Health, controlled breathing and meditation increase calmness, improves psychological balance, aids with healing from illness, and enhances overall well-being.
Mindful.org offers a seven-stop process for how to get started with this daily practice.
LEARN
When you take on a new mental challenge, you steer your mind away from the other matters that may be weighing on it. Dr. Julia suggests trying to cook a new recipe. Learn a new language. Pick up that musical instrument you’ve neglected for months (years?) Try a new hobby like knitting. Read an actual book instead of online blogs, social media posts, or news reports. Try out a coloring book --- it worked great in grade school.
The focus you put on learning can provide some much-needed mental relief --- or at least a temporary distraction from what’s bothering you.
Know Your Numbers
This information is provided by Health Fair 11 as part of its Know Your Numbers Campaign. Health Fair 11 is a non-profit organization that operates with the support of KARE 11 TV and UCare. Learn more at www.HealthFair11.org. To find out how your organization can become an official Health Fair 11 sponsor, email healthfair@kare11.com
