With widespread fear, anxiety, and stress over the spread of coronavirus disrupting lives, carving out a few minutes a day to focus on self-care is so important for you and your family. Anne Boudreau, a motivational coach and author of A Human Mosaic: Heal, Renew & Develop Self-Worth, shared some of her tips to help us care for ourselves through this uncertain time.
“Self-care refers to how one actively protects and improves one’s overall health and wellness, focusing on the mind, body, and spirit,” Boudreau says. “Self-care is acutely important. Nurturing our heart, mind, body, and spirit is critical to our longevity.”
Here are some of her self-care tips to help us get through this stressful time:
Feed yourself with calming thoughts and words — “Positive self-talk is a superb source of motivation and sustenance,” Anne says. “Use short, pithy phrases or power-packed, inspirational words to shift your mood. Create personal mantras that mean something to you.” Also, “Do not repeat negative beliefs about yourself. Stay away from using the words ‘never’ or ‘always…Do not ‘negative futurize’ — as in believing something bad is going to happen instead of something good is going to happen. Be aware of negative thoughts that are triggered within you and reframe them into positive ones.”
Breathe deeply and exercise your lungs to release fear — “Inhale slowly through your nose with your shoulders relaxed, expanding your abdomen (put your hand on your belly to make sure it’s your abdomen rising and falling and not your chest). Exhale slowly through your mouth, keeping your jaw relaxed. Repeat for several minutes. If you are distraught for any reason, focusing on your breathing will help you calm down (it can even prevent panic attacks!).”
Check-in with yourself — “If you establish a habit of checking in with yourself daily, you are far less likely to succumb to negative messages and attitudes that attack your self-worth like a virus. Neglecting to do this is like waiting to take your temperature until you collapse on your feet. ‘Taking your temperature,’ or checking in with yourself, is a way to regulate your thoughts and behavior. By checking in with yourself, you can self-regulate your temperament throughout the day to remain calm and maintain your cool.”
Reset your mood — “Our society has trained us to feel fear when we are unfamiliar with something, when we are in an adverse situation, or when we are facing a problem. Yet, when we fear something, we are channeling our energy toward that fear, and in our attempt to fight the fear, we pour more energy and focus into the fear itself. Our best option is to keep making the choices that will help us feel connected to our inner source of peace — our Soul Self.”
Experiment to find the self-care techniques that work best for you — Practicing them can help you develop the self-worth and inner strength you need to face difficult circumstances and fear of the unknown. “The actions we choose to nurture and strengthen our wellbeing differ from person to person, since each of us is unique,” Anne says. “It is important to find activities that you love and find meaningful so that you will continue to participate.”
Anne Ockene Boudreau is an inspirational author, coach, and executive who is devoted to helping others develop healthy self-worth. In her new book, “A Human Mosaic: Heal, Renew & Develop Self-Worth,” she reveals how self-worth is a critical element for sustainable personal change. For more, visit AnneOBoudreau.com.
