How To Get Back On Your Feet With 11 Self-Care Strategies
getty When life gets you down, can you learn how to get back on your feet? You’re not alone.
There has never been more reason to feel stressed and overwhelmed than in this era of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's more important than ever to take care of yourself now, so you don’t implode with stress and tension.
Some specific self-care strategies can quickly get you back on your feet when you're feeling overwhelmed.
The benefits of self-care outweigh the adverse effects of stress, anxiety, tension, and strain. Once you recognize a situation that requires your attention, you’ll become committed to sticking with a self-care plan that works for you.
Deciding what techniques work best will help you work through — and out of — emotional exhaustion, mental burnout, and feeling spent, physically.
You’ve got some choices to make — and a list to create.
Being prepared with "go-to" self-care ideas will equip you to manage any situation. So, the next time you get anxious about something, you can pause and regroup.
Which of your favorite self-care strategies can you engage in to ease the worry and relieve the stress?
On your list, include things you can do in five- to 10-minute breaks to satisfy the urgent needs. Also, be sure to think of suggestions that will offer deeper relaxation when there is more time.
Here are 11 self-care strategies to get you back on your feet.
1. Take a "funny break."
One of the best remedies for stress is to laugh. Find a blooper reel of your favorite sitcom and watch it for five minutes, allowing yourself to laugh hysterically.
Afterward, take a deep breath, drop your shoulders, and go back to the challenge at hand with a new perspective.
2. Take a people-break.
Sometimes, people can push your buttons.
Instead of pushing back, excuse yourself politely, and do something to break the tension.
3. Make a list.
Often, you need self-care strategies that help manage your time, reduce the overwhelm, and relieve worry about what to do.
Prioritizing your to-do list can help. Making a list of dinner options during the week may ease the pressure of deciding at the last minute.
Is there a list that will help you?
4. Start a health log.
Being mindful of what you do to keep healthy brings peace of mind. Keep a record of everything you eat, so you consciously practice good eating habits.
Monitor your activity, too. And pay attention to how it makes you feel.
This self-care idea takes just a few minutes and keeps you on track with your health goals.
5. Notice something beautiful, like you're seeing it for the first time.
Focus on the flower or bird as if looking through a child’s eyes with wonder. What do you see that you’ve never noticed before?
Find beauty in everyday things. Next, be grateful for the revelation.
This practice takes only moments and can take you far, far, away for just long enough to smile and reset.
6. Turn off and tune out.
It goes without saying that there's a lot of noise in our daily lives. And much of it is of little benefit to our well-being.
Consequently, taking a conscious break from the clatter makes sense. The quiet time allows you to recharge and refresh your spirit.
Take a breather, meditate, listen to music, or take a walk.
7. Do what brings you joy.
What are the activities that make you happy, relaxed, and joyful? Schedule time at least once a week to participate in one of these activities.
Engross yourself so that time stands still. Yet when you finish, it will feel like it has flown. It’s a perfect stress-reliever.
8. Find new favorite books and movies.
Keep it light. Here's another list you can start so you are never at a loss for a story with a happy ending.
Instead of the one you’re living, paying attention to another storyline gives you a much needed brain break.
9. Create new routines to revitalize your life.
Rituals help to keep you balanced and moving forward. However, repeating the same ones day after day can make you feel like you’re in a rut.
Changing those practices may spice things up. They will help you to see things from a different angle.
What if you made a two-millimeter shift, reordered the sequence, or added something new? This self-care idea can breathe new life into what has become mundane and stressful.
10. Get a hug from your friend.
Your pets are the best companions for unconditional love, and when you are stressed, they go a long way to alleviating the tension.
Be intentional about the snuggle time so that you can get the most out of it. Open your heart and immerse yourself to receive the love and let the worries go.
When you return to life, recall how good that made you feel.
If you don’t have a pet, find your favorite loving, caring human and hug them the same way.
11. Put words on a page.
Some people think journaling isn’t for them, because they don’t know what to write. Give it a try, anyway!
Magical things can happen, moods can shift, and you can reveal powerful insights when capturing your thoughts on paper.
They can be single words or phrases to start. Full sentences are likely to follow.
When you get out of your head and open your heart, you will be amazed at how unburdened you feel. Journaling is my favorite self-care practice of them all.
When you're emotionally exhausted, that’s a signal to stop and refuel.
If you're on the verge of burnout, take notice and recharge your batteries before it’s too late. When you feel drained and depleted, it’s a sure sign that your self-care strategies don't work for you.
You deserve to be operating at peak performance, but that can’t happen unless you take care of yourself. You know the metaphor of the oxygen mask — put yours on first.
My favorite analogy is the teacup and saucer. You're the teacup, beautifully painted, with a gilded-gold rim and handle. Close your eyes and imagine the colors. It has a matching saucer.
With every self-care practice, you fill your cup. As you get better at it, your cup fills to the brim and overflows.
You're ready to face anything that comes at you.
Stress. Adversity. Overwhelm.
And when someone needs something from you, you pour from your overflow. See how that works?
Now it’s your turn to choose the best self-care strategies to keep your cup full, so you can get back on your feet quickly when life tries to know you down.
María Tomás-Keegan is a certified life and career coach specializing in transition, and founder of Transition & Thrive with Maria. Learn more about the impact change can have on your life and how to move through it with more dignity and grace in her free ebook From Darkness to Light: Learning to Adapt to Change and Move Through Transition.