Self-care is YES-Care
Context:
As we approach a month in quarantine brought on by the novel, COVID-19, we constantly are thrown into circumstances that are out of your control. With such uncertainty going on in the world our mental health shouldn’t be one of them. Some of us are worried about the coronavirus, but many are just worried about the impact of all these changes. How will these changes impact one’s learning or paycheck? How do we stay sane during this whole process? Will I have a job or home after this? Many of us also have family members who are considered ‘essential workers’ and spend every day putting their lives on the line with much uncertainty. Then you have the people who are stuck at home with much to do, these people are currently not only afraid of the virus; they are afraid of the isolation, anxiety, and depression.
With much of us spending more time than normal indoors, around family members in the same 4 walls, the reality of cabin fever becomes more evident daily. Since we have nothing but time this would be a great season to practice self-care and get into a self-care routine. If you are looking for self-care tips or lost on what to do while stuck inside look through our YES-care list and try to see how many you can cross off.
Goals: Age Group: All ages
Practice self-care indoors.
Grow skills.
Supplies: Time: As much as you need.
None
Stress is something that is common during this time and most people experience stress in different ways. According to the CDC, here some ways teens and children experience stress:
Excessive crying or irritation in younger children
Returning to behaviors they have outgrown (for example, toileting accidents or bedwetting)
Excessive worry or sadness
Unhealthy eating or sleeping habits
Irritability and “acting out” behaviors in teens
Difficulty with attention and concentration
Avoidance of activities enjoyed in the past
Unexplained headaches or body pain
Use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
Most of us know what self-care is but never know how we practice it or even if we can. To help with that we have come up with a list of things you can do to practice self-care.
Exercise: Take 20 mins every day to walk around your home. You can also go on youtube and follow an exercise or yoga routine.
Mediate: Everyday take time out of your day to sit in silence. Silence allows you to go over your day and realign yourself. Here is an article of meditation styles; https://mashable.com/article/coronavirus-covid-19-quarantine-meditation/
Make art: Art is a form of therapy and art can be anything. Create art with paint or words. Here is a thread on Pinterest on simple art you can make from recyclable and household items. https://www.pinterest.com/elusivebutters/recycled-art-supplies-and-common-household-items/.
Listen or play music: Music is a therapy for the soul. Make a playlist and share it with your friends. You can also have a listening party of albums you wanted to. Make a game of it or even just listen to it while you relax. Music can be as healing as you allow it to be and with more and more artists popping up this is a great time to find your new favorite album.
Put your phone down; With all the news happening daily regarding COVID-19 and the other things in the world we can’t control you might be experiencing information overload. Take some time to relax and detox from social media. Turn your phone off for an hour a day and just spend some time relaxing.
Take a walk: Fresh air is good for the soul, especially while practicing social distancing. Take a walk around your neighborhood or even open a window stick your head outside and breathe in deep!
Take a virtual museum tour: many museums are offering free virtual tours so this will be a great time to really get your art on. Here are a couple of museums tours you can take to start you off.
British Museum, London
This iconic museum located in the heart of London allows virtual visitors to tour the Great Court and discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. You can also find hundreds of artifacts on the museum’s virtual tour.
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Google’s Street View feature lets visitors tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase without ever leaving home. From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary eras.
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
This famous American art museum features two online exhibits through Google. The first is an exhibit of American fashion from 1740 to 1895, including many renderings of clothes from the colonial and Revolutionary eras. The second is a collection of works from Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer
Join the conversation and use the hashtag #YEScare when performing these activities and we will share your story on our Instagram page.