Are you feeling stressed out and overwhelmed? Do you feel like you are juggling several responsibilities at the same time? Are you tired?

This time of year can have additional responsibilities and activities with the holidays, but this year it may seem harder to accomplish these tasks and responsibilities with the added stress of the pandemic. While it may seem counter intuitive, this is when taking time for self-care is important. This can actually help to calm your stress and be more productive. When you take time to slow down and take care of yourself, it makes it easier to get other tasks accomplished.

When you feel overwhelmed, it is much harder to get tasks done as it typically takes more energy and brain power to get them accomplished. If you took time to slow down and take care of yourself, then you would be better able to accomplish your other tasks and feel calmer. If you are not taking care of yourself, how can you be expected to take care of anyone else, including your family? This is the same theory as when you are on an airplane that you need to put on your mask before helping someone else put on theirs.

It is also good for your children to see you taking some time to take care of yourself and do self-care activities. You want your children to learn to take care of themselves and learn how to handle their stress. You modeling the activity will help them learn and understand that it is important and something that should be done.

Think about what activities would be beneficial for you and that you would enjoy, but here are few ideas to get you started.

· Read a book for enjoyment. Not a book for work or school, but that you picked just to enjoy.

· Take a walk outside and get some fresh air.

· Take a bubble bath by candlelight.

· Play a board game or card game.

While you may need to come up with your own ideas for your self-care routine, remember that it is important to implement, especially at this time.

If you feel you need more assistance with this or want more assistance with this, please feel free to reach out for further consultation.