8 Self-Care Ideas for Parents During the Coronavirus Crisis
Part 1 of a 5-Part Series: Emotional Self-Care
Whether you work inside or outside the home, your self-care routine will be rocked by these unprecedented times. Just as you had to rework your self-care routine when you had a newborn or young child, all caregivers are being tested again due to the Coronavirus.
If you’re feeling wary of how you can maintain healthy self-care during this time, I hope the following suggestions will spark some creative and manageable ideas.
This is the first post in a five-part series about practical self-care during the Coronavirus crisis. The first post will cover emotional self-care. The second post will explore social self-care. The third post will highlight physical and environmental self-care. The fourth post will discuss intellectual, cultural, and spiritual self-care. Lastly, the fifth post will address self-care at work.
Emotional Self-Care. All of our stress levels have increased to some degree due to Coronavirus. Emotional self-care during this time will likely focus on how to stay mindful and lean into those positive feelings when they come, in addition to strategies to cope with anxiety, confusion, fear, or helplessness.
Writing. Journaling is a wonderful way to express yourself. Whether you are doing creative writing, or journaling about the current state of our country, writing is cathartic. Writing allows us to observe our thoughts from a small distance instead of having them swim around in our minds, which is at the core of mindfulness. If you don’t enjoy long-from journaling, try writing a few bullet points or a sentence.
Coloring or Creative Arts. If you don’t have your own stash, time to break into your child’s art supplies. If you still have a printer at home, you can print out adult coloring pages or Mandalas. It can be freeing and relaxing to paint or watercolor, as these are often activities we give up as we get older. You may have other art projects that have been dormant for a while that you can start working on again.
Gratitude Practice. I know this might seem very difficult during a pandemic, but challenge yourself to find something you are grateful for each day. You can jot down what you are thankful for, or involve the whole family by saying what you are grateful for at a meal. Gratitude jars have been popular as well, where you write down one thing you are grateful for on a small piece of paper and put it in a jar everyone can look at when needed. You can involve your kids and create gratitude art to decorate your home as well.
Snuggles. Capitalize on the increased snuggle opportunities while you’re at home with your loved ones and pets. We know the “cuddle hormone” oxytocin is released when we hug or bond socially. Oxytocin is also the neurohormone that’s released after mother’s give birth to help them bond with their children. However, health psychologist Dr. Kelly McGonigal shared in her popular Ted Talk that oxytocin is actually a stress hormone. When oxytocin is released as a part of our bodies’ stress response, it encourages us to connect with people. As we know from our shared experiences and research, human connection is key when it comes to coping with stress. How cool is it that our body’s stress response was designed to trigger stress-resilience?! She also points out that caring for others creates stress-related resistance, which is great news for all the parents and caregivers out there since we will be spending a lot more time with our children in the near future.
Music. If you are wanting to evoke more positive emotions, then try listening to songs that remind you of joyful or meaningful past experiences. If you are feeling anxious and stressed, try listening to music with a slow tempo to calm your breath and heart rate. If you are seeking a creative outlet, try writing a song, playing an instrument, or singing.
Mindfulness. Focusing on the present moment often helps to calm our bodies. You can take a quick mindfulness break for as little as a minute, and you can involve children as well. Mindfulness is more than meditation and breathing, it is any practice that helps you connect to the present moment as a keen observer. Another way to think of mindfulness, is to think about being more present with your five senses.
5 Senses Check-In. Not all meditation means sitting cross legged on a circular pillow with your eyes closed. Anytime, anywhere you can do a mindful senses check in. All you have to do is ask, “What do I see? What do I feel? What do I hear? What do I taste? What am I touching?”
Mantras. Find a comfortable position sitting or lying down. You can close your eyes, or just look down to help tune out visual stimulation. Repeat a mantra such as, “breathe in presence, breathe out fear.”
Loving Kindness Meditation. This practice focuses on sending kindness and warmth to ourselves, our loved ones, and the world. The phrases vary depending on which meditation you select, but the general theme is, “may I/you live with ease, may I/you be happy, and may I/you be free from pain.” This beautiful meditation is one way you can send good wishes to everyone in the world dealing with the Coronavirus. UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine has an audio link of a loving-kindness guided meditation.
Belly Breath. Lie down and put a stuffed animal on your stomach. Feel the stuffed animal move up and down as you focus on breathing from your stomach instead of your chest.
Five Finger Breathing. Trace each one of your fingers breathing in as you trace the outside of your finger, and then breathing out as you trace the inside of the finger. Trace both hands.
Smell. Light your favorite candle, use an essential oils diffuser, or pick flowers from your garden if you have one. Use a lotion or chap stick that has a pleasant smell.
Taste. Put on the kettle for a cup of tea or hot cocoa, or cook up one of your favorite comfort meals.
Touch. Snuggle up with a soft blanket or pillow, and slip on a comfy shirt, pajama set, or cozy socks.
Social Media. Social media often gets a bad rap in the self-care department, because it can easily become addictive, numbing, trigger comparing behaviors, or increase feelings of isolation. However, you can be intentional with your technology, and follow inspirational, informative, creative or soothing social media accounts. Here are some of my current Instagram go-tos, but this is obviously personal and everyone’s list will look beautifully different.
Plants: @floretflower, @plants_and_colour and @succlenticity
#bookstagram: @bookofthemonth and @bookbento
Crafts: @papersource and @thecraftedlife
Mindfulness, wellness, and parenting: @jack_kornfield, @greatergoodmag, @journey_to_wellness, @positivelypresent and @biglifejournal
Media Diet. Take time to reflect on what a healthy amount of news coverage looks like for you. If you tend to get avoidant when you are overwhelmed, you may need to set a boundary to check the news once a day to make sure you are informed and safe. If you tend to manage worry by consuming copious amounts of information, you may need to turn off news notifications and set a realistic number of times per day that you are allowed to check the news.
Check back soon for the next post on social self-care during the Coronavirus crisis. May you live with ease, may you be healthy, and may you be free from suffering.
