Self-care Sundays
I’m sure you’ve heard that your mind and body are connected. The “mind body connection”. It feels cliché… you may even be rolling your eyes right now reading this. But here is the thing, it’s true. It is hard for us to regulate our emotions when we are tired, hungry, dehydrated, sick etc. So, one easy way to practice self-care is to make sure you are taking care of your body.
The Mayo clinic recommends that men get 15.5 cups of fluids a day and women get 11.5 cups of fluid a day. For more information check out their website (link at the bottom). We all live busy lives and it can be difficult to make sure that we are getting the recommended amount of fluids a day. Some ways to do that are to drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, take a water bottle with you everywhere you go, eat fruits and veggies high in water content.
Getting enough sleep is another way to take care of ourselves. The Sleep Foundations recommends adults get 7-8 hours of sleep a night (link below). Creating a sleep routine is a great way to start getting better sleep. Turn off electronics 30 or more minutes before bedtime or but electronics on nighttime mode to remove the blue light. Having bedtime rituals are a great way to signal to your brain that it is time for bed. Brush your teeth, wash your face, put on your comfy pjs or whatever you want your rituals to be. Make sure your room is comfortable, reduce excess light, play some white noise in the background etc.
Eat when you are hungry. I’m sure you have heard the term “hangry”. It is hard to feel good mentally when we are starving. I know for me I get grouchy when I’ve waited to long to eat. Try to incorporate healthy snacks to make sure your body is getting enough of the vitamin and minerals it needs.
Lastly take care of yourself when you are sick! How often have you powered through work or other activities when you were sick only to feel worse by the end of the day. I know I have done that a million times. Not only do I feel worse physically after I also do not feel good mentally. Get some rest and take care of yourself when you are sick. Some of that other stuff can wait until you are better to get done.
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need#:~:text=National%20Sleep%20Foundation%20guidelines1,to%208%20hours%20per%20night.