Everyday self-care for when in self-isolation or while social distancing: Ideas and strategies for your everyday to keep you smiling, connected and inspired

Everyday self-care for when in self-isolation or while social distancing

Ideas and strategies for your everyday to keep you smiling, connected and inspired

Raise your hand if you are a little bit unsure as to what spending more time at home might look like for you? I have had many conversations over the last week and days about this possibility - for some we are excited, and for others of us we are feeling hesitant. There are many reasons for this, and they are unique to every single one of us. There are a cocktail of emotions mixed together at the moment, so I thought I would share some suggestions to spark your curiosity and support you to reframe as an act of self-care.

But first, let’s step back and reflect on these questions:

What happens when you approach something new and/or challenging with an awareness and curiosity?

Is there something today you can do that allows you to check in with your feelings?

What daily routines can you engage with that set you up for a successful day?

Have you engaged in something today that extends your connection back to being present?

As you ponder these questions, self-isolation and social distancing is offering us a unique opportunity to step back, slow down and really connect with the present moment. We can begin to look at what it is we do, how we do it, and when we do it. With a curious lens we can be most creative in what is possible.

Firstly, I encourage you to be gentle on yourself. Take each moment in the moment, knowing that it is ok to be aware of your feelings, and these can and will shift. Being in tune is a great way to recognise, label and observe.

Secondly, think about some options you can create for yourself, and how you can set intentions to be curious, open-minded and aware of how you can reframe your time at home. You can really be creative in how you approach caring for yourself, others, how you approach your day, and how you connect with others while also exploring your “me time”? You might think about your daily intentions as reminders for how you may navigate being at home more, how to manage your time, or to establish routines and rituals for yourself.

I have brainstormed a collection of strategies and activities to get you started, and connected these to four different areas - connecting with others (relationships), movement, make and create, and things to make you smile (positive emotions). And PS these are ideas you could transfer to use with your housemates, family or children as well.

You can access these strategies from these free downloads:

Things to make you smile (positive emotions) Downloadable activity grid (with 25 ideas)

Move Downloadable activity grid (with 15 ideas)

Create and Make Downloadable activity grid (with 40 ideas)

Relationships Downloadable activity grid (with 20 ideas)

You might engage with some of these or use them to spark other possibilities. Enjoy the exploration, and embrace any inspiration that comes your way at the same time.

As you explore these activities, strategies and tips, also think about how you structure your day. One way you can approach this is to think about these sentence starters:

Enjoy the exploration and create possibilities as you are curious with your time and living life in a different way. You never know, you may create a new habit or routine that is something that you will embrace as a part of your self-care tool box of resources.

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