Self-Care ideas to help you cope with and enjoy the busy season.
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Make a Plan
- Plan out your week, including diet, exercise, down time etc.
- Prioritize – avoid feeling overwhelmed and unnecessary stress
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Meals
- Pre Prepare meals – to avoid meal stress and the temptation to opt for unhealthy nutrient starved choices. Eating well will supply the brain and your body with the nutrients it needs to get through such a busy time.
- Cooking – ensure the best quality food you can afford, look for cheaper Organic options ie Local Farmers Markets etc.
- Boost the Immune system to support stress
- There’s a basic suggestive list you might be able to add to your family favourites:
- Make a huge batch of nutrient dense pasta sauce
- 8 servings of lasagne
- 10 servings of frittata
- 10 servings of an immune boosting soup.
- 1-½ cups of pesto, separated into smaller containers
The pasta sauce is so versatile and can be quickly added to pasta, meatballs, tacos, topping for schnitzels, etc
Divide the lasagne, frittata, and soup into freeze-able individual serving sizes so that they can just be defrosted / reheated to match what your needs avoiding having to deal with a huge platter of either that you were probably tire of.
The pesto will add flavour to easy meals that can be cooked simply, like omelettes, a grilled protein, a tofu scramble, or a pasta dish.
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Ease a Racing Mind
- Write down any “To Do” items to be attended to for the next day to empty head of mind clutter
- Stay connected with others outside your immediate sphere – Join support groups or interest groups of like-minded motivated people
- Aromatherapy – try some uplifting essential oils such as some of the citrussy tones, orange, lemon, mandarin, or peppermint, rosemary or clary sage to stimulate and ground your thoughts and actions.
- Practice Positive Self-Talk – notes on the fridge, on the bathroom mirror, etc
- Formulate a Gratitude List – try a Gratitude jar
- Try not to feel guilty when taking time for yourself – you’ll be more productive
- Bath in Epsom Salts – ½ – 1 cup of Epsom Salts in a lukewarm bath. Soak for 20mins.
- Book regular Massage sessions to promote relaxation and ease muscle tension.
- Music therapy – let music soothe your anxiety
- Mindfulness and Meditation ideas –
- Tara Brach An American Psychologist via https://www.tarabrach.com/guided-meditations/ for guided meditations (mindfulness teaching – iTunes podcasts),
- Smiley Mind app – good for beginners
- Headspace app – Get an intro and learn the basics of meditation with simple techniques.
- Omvana app – Providing a personal meditation and mindfulness teacher to give more in depth guidance and tips
- Zova app – Gives rhythm guided workouts with women in mind
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Exercise
- Get up early and take that 30min walk – this is the time of day we generate most of our energy reserves, feel refreshed and set yourself up for the day ahead.
- Get outside – boost vital nutrients such as Vitamin D and increased good quality air intake
- Walking in Nature – an excellent option to cleanse the mind, seen as “detoxification for the soul”
- My Fitness Pal app – A calorie counter and food diary that uses your phone’s camera to scan food bar codes for their nutrition information.
- Yoga
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Sleep
- Prioritize your 8 hours per night. You don’t want to be ‘that tired and grumpy one”
- Ensure good sleep – 1 dose of magnesium with Dinner, 1 dose Magnesium before bed.
- Practice being present and enjoying the moment
- Aromatherapy – can be particularly helpful for any time of the day, but none more so than at bed time. Try some restful Lavender or Rose Geranium essential oils. A light spray of Lavender essential oil diluted in water and misted over the bedding before you get into bed works a treat.
