The 4 C’s of self-care 2021

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Carving out time for yourself every day is difficult for most people, but it is so important. By taking 
time to attend to ourselves, we intentionally create love, safety, and belonging within ourselves. Self-care is necessary for continued resilience through difficult times. 

Consider these four C’s of self-care:

1) Connect with yourself: Make sure you check in with yourself and take your own emotional temperature. You can write down accomplishments that mean the most to you. Write about easily accomplished successes, or difficult ones you fought through. Another way is to journal your life as it happens, as honestly as you can. This allows you to look back and see where your life has taken you and how you managed it.

2) Connect with others: This is something that is essential to everyone, even extreme introverts. Loneliness can affect nearly every aspect of your mental and physical health. It’s a good idea to form a social support network made up of friends, family, and peers. Remember all those social media friends you have? Make your online friends less virtual and more real. Make a point to invite one friend out per month, or at least have a phone call or video chat. When you connect with others, you tend to find comfort knowing that they are there for you if you need them.

3) Connect with your community: Join local groups that enjoy the same types of hobbies as you, such as hiking, biking, bowling, or crafting. There are also local support groups that bring together people who are going through similar experiences. You can also look at volunteer options in your community. When you donate time and energy to others, you forge a stronger link to the world, and build a social support system. Find something that you enjoy, whether that be with animals, local food banks, or mentoring.

4) Create joy and satisfaction: Find opportunities to live your best life. Do things that you loved to do when you were young. Create moments in your day that do not look like the rest of your day. Take day trips, make sure you laugh at least once a day, and take a break when you feel overwhelmed. Good feelings can boost your ability to deal with stress, solve problems, think flexibly, and even fight disease. Take care of yourself mentally and physically so your body can keep up with the life you have planned for it!

Source: WebMD.com, MayoClinic.org

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