Introduction to Self-Care: A Great Help Amid Pandemic?

Making both ends meet and respond to the responsibilities the world is giving us can be tiring. But what can we do about it? Responsibilities in family, society, work, and self should be taken care of, especially in the middle of trying times like the pandemic. People's movement is very limited to getting supplies and restricted activities, adding to most people's stress.

When working from home and homeschooling, the idea of doing your work inside the comfort of your homes may give you a little bit of ease because you thought that it is less stressful than your office. But that is not the case. The home and office workload is still the same since the setup is the only thing that changed despite the lack of resources. The same goes for the education sector, where conferences are done online for their classes, even though we all know that not all students have access to the internet. There are even reports stating that schoolwork doubled despite the situation.

That is why stress may be the number one cause of dilemma and the loss of interest for some people in their routine. It somehow affects their well-being and mental health that can affect the work and studies. This is why we need to emphasize the concept of self-care to everyone to give ourselves a break from all the stress we accumulate alongside working and doing that schoolwork.

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What is Self-Care?

A career coach and virtual speaker, Mark Danaher, said in an article for Thrive Global that self-care will help individuals avoid health problems caused by anxiety and stress during these trying times. According to International Self-Care Foundation (ISF), the concept of self-care is something an individual does to avert ailments and maintain health for more functional performance. World Health Organization (WHO) also mentioned that self-care isn't all about avoiding serious illnesses caused by stress, but it also encompasses cleanliness, diet, and lifestyle. This means that how an individual handles stress is vital.

Stress can come from different factors such as physical activity, emotional conflict, even overwhelming scenarios that can cause anxiety and stress. According to Very Well Health, when an individual is at their peak (in a good way), better results and outcomes can be achieved because you can face stress once again in a healthy way. This only means that self-care is a matter of recharging yourself.

Self-Care and Mental Health

In these trying times, mental health is the one that is greatly affected, especially during the early months of the pandemic, since treatment for the COVID-19 is not yet available at that time, amplified by the unfortunate events like the death of patients who have been stricken with coronavirus. According to the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), overwhelming stress can be a handful. It can heighten the risk of anxiety, depression, and sleep disruptions, which can harm mental health and mental and physical health. Simple steps like taking a walk, looking at the trees can be calming and can restart your feeling of being burnt out. Eating a treat you like the most can also be a reward or self-care practice after a long day at work can also induce stress you have accumulated. Try to include self-care on your schedule so that you can face the next day feeling lighter and having less stress.

Check out more news and information on Mental Health on MD News Daily.