This is the third entry in our four-part series around mental health awareness for Mental Health Awareness Month. You can read part one on how to embrace your emotions here. You can read part 2 on calming your nervous system here. You can read part 3 on thriving with ADHD here.
Are you noticing yourself waiting until you’re already stressed to start taking care of yourself? Is that emergency bubble bath not working? It’s likely because you haven’t been taking enough proactive steps to incorporate intentional activities and tools in your daily routine. While a bubble bath can feel wonderful at the end of a long work week, being purposeful about what tools we need and when to use them can make a significant difference in managing stress levels and preventing burnout.
Proactivity is all about setting up our bodies and minds for success.
Being proactive in mental and physical health means taking initiative and incorporating positive habits into our routine. That can be anything ranging from prioritizing a set sleep schedule to regularly hanging out with friends. On the other hand, reactivity is waiting for stress to build up before starting to take care of ourselves. The more consistently we incorporate self-care, the less likely burnout can build.
Nowadays, “self-care” can seem like somewhat of a buzzword, so what exactly is it? Simply put, self-care is just practicing activities and skills that prioritize ourselves and our health.
Now, you may be wondering what that looks like, below are a couple steps to take to start that proactive self-care:
Brainstorm: Think about what activities bring you the most joy or peace. I’ve listed out some of my clients’ favorites.
- Short daily meditations
- 10-min “veg sessions” to watch TikTok
- Meal prepping
- Coffee dates with friends
- Finding new places to walk your dog
- Car jam sessions
- Reading a book on lunch breaks
- Long hot showers
- Sticking to a sleep routine
- Journaling
Starting small: You may have come up with numerous activities and maybe it would have been possible to do them all this week, but I urge you to start as small as you can to avoid feeling overwhelmed. From your list, choose one that you feel confident you could begin incorporating in your daily or weekly routine. For instance, maybe you chose to read on your lunch break at work. Try it once this week and see how it goes. Maybe you were even able to read more than once; maybe this is not the activity to choose and you want to try another. Keep reflecting on what works best for you!
Prioritize: Next, think about what other to-do’s you have during the week. How and where could you add in the activity you chose above? Is it something you could hold to equal importance with your other routine responsibilities? For example, maybe you stop reading on your lunch breaks to keep working. Is it possible to incorporate breaks another way? Can you hold to that activity being of similar importance? Being proactive means being intentional about holding these activities as though they are part of our responsibilities; because they are part of what fuels us.
Maintain: Lastly, we want to build it deep into our routine, while also noticing when those activities may be more needed. For instance, if we start putting off those activities or piling on more responsibilities without continuing to set aside time for ourselves, we can slide back into those old habits of not prioritizing our personal needs. Try to stay mindful of those slips or changes. I often recommend finding a “buddy” to support and encourage you to take care of yourself.
If you’re able to build up those supports, over time it may take longer for burnout to build. Maybe your stress begins to feel lighter or easier to manage when it does pop up. Maybe all of those small activities added up to be one large support in your routine.
I always tell my clients, “I know that our steps sometimes seem tiny in front of our larger goal. But, a few months from now, we’ll both look back and see the large distance we covered by taking those individual steps.”
By: Jessica Souza, LCMHCA
Jessica Souza is a therapist at Mathews Counseling. She currently taking new clients but space is limited. Request your appointment today! Learn more about Jessica here.
