Your Daily Self-Care Checklist During a Pandemic

March 12. 2021

Taking care of yourself is critical, no matter what the state the world is in. In a global pandemic, self-care becomes even more crucial, as the lack of caring for oneself can send us spiraling out of control. Unfortunately, we often focus on others first, neglecting ourselves. We need to make a conscious effort to take care of ourselves, filling up our cup first to pour out for others. If we continually avoid self-care for our health, we will not be able to come to others’ aid. Here’s your daily self-care checklist to keep in mind when attempting to increase awareness of our health.

Physical Health

First and foremost, our physical health plays a significant role in our overall health. This is so, especially in the light of the previous pandemic. By focusing on our physical health and well-being, we will care for others, should we need to.

• This starts with what we put into our bodies. A balanced diet is paramount to maintaining physical health. Likewise, not only does a nutrient-rich diet keep our body humming along, but it could also contribute to a robust immune system.
  Your diet must be included in your daily self-care checklist; therefore, take a deep dive into what foods you’re consuming; like most good things, it may take some sacrifice to change the way you eat, but you will feel much healthier in the long run. However, it’s important not to create added stress through a diet, so it’s okay if you have days where you may have to cheat. As long as it’s in moderation, this too could be viewed as positive self-care.
• Secondarily, staying active also contributes to vibrant physical health. Taking care of ourselves physically may seem like a lot of work, but instead of negatively looking at it, this work can be viewed as preventative.  By focusing on maintaining a healthy exercise schedule, our immune system will be boosted, allowing us to fight off sickness and disease.
  Make sure your daily self-care checklist includes taking time to exercise, even if that’s something as simple as taking a walk through your neighborhood. Regardless of what activity you choose, the fact that you’ve decided to exercise at all is a huge step – your physical health will thank you for the self-care activities.

Your physical health is a big part of your overall health, and it should be treated as such. Whether changing your diet to better care for your body or by committing to a proper exercise plan, physical self-care is an integral part of the self-care process.

Mental Health

The secondary building block of overall well-being is your mental health. As times change, more focus has been placed on mental health. Often, positive self-care focused on other areas (such as physical health and emotional health) positively affects your mental health, so it may be easier than you think to impact your mental health positively. It’s essential to be intentional when it comes to your mental well-being; by taking time daily to focus on mental health self-care, you’re sure to see results. Make sure to include these next few tips into your daily self-care checklist:

•  As mentioned often, activities designed to impact other areas of your health can positively affect different segments of your health. Activities like running, jogging, and exercising, in general, are positive self-care activities related to your mental and physical health. 
• On the other hand, there are actions you can take to care of your mental health. Taking time out of your day, even as short as three minutes, can provide the mental health self-care you need to stay healthy in the face of adversity. 
• Luckily, there are also various apps and websites dedicated to mental health self-care. These aids attempt to center your mind, bringing awareness to how you feel mentally and building resilience through mental self-care.

Regardless, taking the time to care for your mental health can provide numerous positive health benefits, so it’s an essential aspect of your overall health. As such, it should be cared for.

Emotional Health

Primarily the most impacted area of our health due to the lack of personal contact between us and many others, emotional health is a vital cog in your overall health. Emotional health most often relates to relationships, and as such, has been severely impacted by social distancing and the lack of travel. Emotional health can quickly spiral out of control due to external circumstances and is often felt like a strain on relationships, whether personal or professional.

Well, your daily self-care checklist might not have many boxes regarding emotional health for you to tick off, but that doesn’t mean it’s negligible. This may be a tougher one due to the ongoing pandemic, but there are small things you can do to look out for your emotional health. Finding unique ways to let loved ones know you’re still thinking about them can foster conversations, creating that emotional bond needed for robust emotional health. Although technology is not the same as face-to-face contact, various forms can still bring us together. Reaching out to your close contacts when you feel emotionally drained is also a great way to check in on your emotional health. This mainly includes coworkers, should you be in a high-stress work environment.

It may seem not easy but checking in on your emotional health is critical. Paying particular attention to your relationships and how you feel about them is a great way to care for your emotional health. 

Summing It Up

Although the pandemic has challenged us in many ways, it has also brought the need to maintain self-care habits that support our health. Making these simple acts a priority in our lives will remain determined and can handle whatever the world may throw at us. Weight loss clinic Chicago covered your daily self-care checklist to target your physical, mental, and emotional health; even though they may seem small, taking time to make your health a priority is paramount. By following these tips, your overall health will indeed remain strong, even amid such challenging times. Start ticking!

Author

Nurse Walton

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Chanay received her Practical Nurse licensure and went to work in clinical specialties such as Home Health, Assisted Living, Long-Term Care and Dialysis Centers. Through this work, she realized the importance of diet, nutrition and weight loss among her patients. This led her to open A Better Weigh, Inc. Medical Weight Loss Center in 2009.