Sustainable Self-Care “Take Care of You”

If you are a caregiver, formal or informal, or if you are in a profession that requires you to care for or to support others -- either people, animals, or the environment, you may be in need of some sustainable self-care practices.

1) Free Simple stretching and breathing breaks to do at home or at work:

Stress & Pain (Emotional/Physical) Management

2) Two-minute videos about how to bring a training to your workspace or to fit your individual schedule: click here.

Hans Selye, a medical pioneer in the field, defined stress as the 'nonspecific response to any demand, including the efforts to cope with the wear and tear in the body caused by life at any one time’. (The Stress of Life, Hans Selye, M.D, 1956). Stress is the failure of the body to adapt to these demands.

It may be helpful to complete the short ProQOL checklist to see if you are in need of some self-care strategies you can incorporate into your day — both at home and at work.

WHY Simple Stretching and Breathing?

Simple stretching and s and breathwork can offer:

1. An accessible and simple way to immediately lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormone levels (and of your clients)

2. Another facet to your self-care plan that includes physical and emotional ways to strengthen the mind and body

3. A way to retrain the brain to help the mind work in a more positive, healthier way

4. A way to address both anxiety and depression -- perk up or calm down, yoga can do both.

And that's just the short list.

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS

Here are some easy steps to help you incorporate this simple tool into your personal self-care stress management box of tools.

1. Set yourself up for success from the start. If you have 5 minutes, start with 5 minutes. Learn some easy stretching and breathing techniques -- go to our FREE page and enjoy the breaks, both MP3s and some written ideas- all under 5 minutes. It will grow naturally from there as you meet with success and like how it feels.

2. Share the five minute breaks with others -- either family, clients, coworkers, or friends. Post one of the stress breaks from the FREE page in the break room at work -- spread some seeds of stress management.

3. If you are new to yoga, try 20-30 minutes of on-line class. There are so many kinds of yoga, and styles of teaching, find one that resonates with you. If you don’t like what you find, keep looking! Probably it’s the style, not yoga, that you don’t like.

4. Find a yoga class, but make sure it meets your physical needs. Read the class description before you go -- some are for beginners and some geared for more advanced students. Go to class a few minutes early and chat with the teacher about the class and any concerns or questions you may have. Always remember, a teacher should make you feel safe. If that is not happening for you, please leave the class.