Hello, everyone! Since June is Mental Health and Resilience Month, I'll be posting weekly resilience tips or resources. Hopefully these are helpful not only as you begin work in trauma-informed care, but in creating balance for your life in general.
I thought I'd start us off with some information on self-care - you've probably all heard of it, and it's gotten a lot of attention recently, but what exactly does it mean? (Even if this is all familiar to you, reminders are always helpful!) See excerpts from the post below, or view the full blog post by Robyn E. Brickel here: https://brickelandassociates.com/what-is-good-self-care-and-why-you-deserve-it/
"What Is Good Self-Care?
Self-care means adopting a mindset that makes your physical and mental health a priority. It shows in behavior like getting enough sleep and eating well, and in many other aspects of life.
It means:
- Saying “no” to extra obligations without guilt
- Liking yourself, and liking how you do things
- Setting boundaries with family or friends who demand too much energy
- Standing up for yourself
- Giving yourself the gift of mindfulness (through meditation or yoga, for example)
- Making a healthy diet, regular exercise and adequate rest your personal priorities
- Asking for help without hesitation or shame
- Treating yourself with kindness and compassion as you work toward your goals
Why are Kindness and Compassion Important in Self-Care?
The biggest challenges to our mental and emotional well-being happen when we are struggling. Learning to respond with compassion, rather than self-criticism, is key to taking good care of yourself emotionally.
Self-compassion steps in precisely when we need it most – when we are ready to stop criticizing ourselves. So says Dr. Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. 'Self-compassion is not a valuation of self-worth. It’s just a way of treating yourself kindly whether things are good or things are bad…. You can motivate yourself not out of fear of being inadequate, but because you care about yourself.'
Instead of condemning yourself, ask what you’re learning and what you can do to reach your goals, while taking care of you."
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