This blog post has been published in french in April 2021
I asked my collaborators, friends, colleagues and acquaintances to share with me their "Self-care" that they used before and during the pandemic. I chose to keep the authenticity of the words and the language
Practicing "self care" can be done in various ways and it doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes doing the simpler things can be enough to satisfy our physical, mental and emotional well-being.
For me, before the pandemic, "self care" mainly consisted of doing myself good physically and that ended up having a positive impact on my mental well-being, which is why my motto has always been: "Men sana incorpore sano ⁄ A healthy body in a healthy mind". What made me feel good was going to the gym to do cardio and ⁄ or Yoga.
During the pandemic, yoga was the most beneficial to me physically, and starting my blog was mentally beneficial. What has helped me with my emotional well-being, I would say, is starting to excel in the art of "Idleness", and adopting a Zen attitude. It gave me the ability to enjoy life without having to worry about things in the past or the future, so I was able to develop an aptitude to deal with stress and maintain a positive outlook.
It's been over a year since this damn pandemic changed our lives and it also influenced our practice of "self care". This practice has now become even more important, useful and necessary.
So here is a list of what has been shared with me and which I have compiled, I hope that can inspire some of you. Good reading..
D.D. - Ontario, Canada
Taking care of myself has always been a priority in my life. I always found an excuse to give myself moments of pleasure, moments of happiness.
Before the pandemic I had the luxury of taking public transport to work so I could enjoy a good book, it was my way of clearing my mind before going home.
When I got home, I prepared myself a good coffee which I sipped while making supper.
Twice a week I attended my zumba class and jogged regularly the other nights of the week. In addition to my regular vacation weeks at fixed times of the year, I always treat myself to long weekends every two months.
These days are devoted to a new haircut, manicures and pedicures and above all a massage. I took the opportunity to meet a friend for lunch or dinner.
My husband and I loved dancing a lot, going to the club was part of the plan at least once a month.
I didn't feel the weight of life because I took charge of myself and I kept a routine, I had an illusion of control.
When the pandemic was declared in 2020, I had just returned from a week's vacation in the sun. Since I could go to the office and meet people, spring heralded the arrival of good weather, the first months were not so hard, I still felt great. During the summer, I took refuge in my garden. And I took pleasure in inventing a new recipe every evening with products from my garden. When autumn arrived, I listened to music a lot and acquired some good books and read them very quickly.
After work I often found myself in love to watch a good movie in full. Yes, I insisted on telling the whole thing. I used to watch a movie while cooking, which means I never saw a whole movie.
Being more sedentary than usual, I saw myself accumulating weight (5 pounds more or covid-5). I bought myself a stationary bicycle which I use once in a while.
I was only living one day at a time until the arrival of this new spring when the good weather allows me to resume certain healthy habits that are important for my well-being.
K.T. - (Japan) Quebec, Canada
Before the pandemic, my self-care was trying out new cafes with my friends or family. I enjoyed talking, the atmosphere and eating cakes with tea or coffee.
Now, it's the pandemic so I spend a lot of time with my family at home.
Honestly, now I realize how precious it is to have my own time alone when my husband and my kids go out for fishing without me all day.
My best self-care is to have my "Me Time" by myself. Of course I love my family but I need to be alone once in a while so that I can recharge my "batteries" and reset.
F.K. - Ontario, Canada
What am I doing to take care of myself during this pandemic? I know COVID-19 has changed the way we live, the way we work, our relationships with others and even the way we think. Loneliness and isolation are now a part of life for some people and this has created feelings of fear, anxiety, loss and even anger. I think all of these feelings are understandable and normal in the face of the pandemic. However, I believe that the best way to have a sense of peace and well being is to take care of myself and my family. In fact, several studies show that doing at least one thing every day to take care of ourselves is very beneficial for our mental and physical well-being.
Here are some activities I do to take care of myself:
Practice gratitude and pray to be in fellowship with my God
I always take a few minutes when I wake up in the morning and at night before going to sleep to pray. It’s my way of being grateful for everything I am and everything I have. This makes me happier and more confident in life.
Do mindfulness mediation to be in touch with myself
Lying in my bed with my eyes closed, I allow myself 15 minutes of meditation every morning when I wake up, and 15 minutes every night before going to sleep. This exercise helps me to reduce stress and anxiety, to focus, to learn about myself, about my way of thinking and reacting, it helps me to develop a great kindness towards myself and towards others and be at peace with myself.
Play board games every Friday night with my husband and our kids to have fun and get away from electronic isolation
We have several games at home: Scrabble, Pictionnary (augmented reality), Monopoly, Jenga, chess and drafts. We choose one every Friday and spend the evening playing, laughing and eating crisps. This activity allows us to strengthen our bonds with children, it allows us to exchange and create healthy and similar habits, to promote healthy competition and it also allows us to understand the personality of each of our children.
Do a 30-minute workout session x 3 times a week with Oculus (virtual reality headset) to get away from it all and get in shape
I exercise with this virtual reality headset to get in shape, sometimes to get away from it all or to relax. It does me good mentally and physically.
M.J.L. - Quebec, Canada
Before the pandemic, I regularly organized dinner for couples and dinner for girls at the chalet. I spent the weekends with my boyfriend at the chalet, we walked together, we sat in front of the fire, etc. Another little moment of happiness was drinking my coffee with a book.
Now we happen to zoom with our friends and the girl gang with a little glass of wine.
I'm lucky to still be able to enjoy the chalet with my lover and my book is still one of my little pleasures. I consider that doing a job that allows me to get out of the house is an advantage because I can socialize with people.
M.J.R. - Ontario, Canada
Before the pandemic, self-care was not an integral part of my life, but I must admit that I could always count on my cat Fluffy to help me cheer me up when needed.
During the pandemic, I started to develop some "anti-COVID strategies" such as: watching videos, listening to Joël Osteen's podcast and taking care of my cat. I found myself getting more and more creative taking photos and creating picCollages.
I love spending time looking for uplifting quotes, listening to music, reading Facebook posts (funny ones), taking baths with epson salt and candles and occasionally taking a walk in my neighborhood and have some massages.
E.A. - Turkey
Well, me before the pandemic, despite being a stay-at-home mom, I was very active. My children being older, I had the opportunity to do outdoor activities such as: doing zumba; go to the gym; take sewing, drawing and piano lessons; make meals with girlfriends.
And then the Covid arrived and turned everything upside down for everyone. So with the pandemic, I had to review all my habits.
So to replace sports, I started watching videos on YouTube mostly walking home videos like Leslie Sansone's.
And then I opened a culinary Instagram account. I already had a personal account but I wanted to share what I was cooking for my family.
I also found myself with other activities like the punch needle and recently the macrame decoration. And of course I had more time to read and watch series on Netflix.
So here we are, we do not let ourselves down and life goes on.
L.A. - Ontario, Canada
Being retired before the pandemic, I had a lot of time to be able to practice "self care" and at the same time do humanitarian work. In fact, I devoted some of my time by volunteering.
During the pandemic, no more means of volunteering. So I took the opportunity to spend more time in the kitchen to try new healthy recipes!
Walking started to be a part of my life routine as I would go for a walk every day when the weather permitted.
S.D. - France
In six months, I will be celebrating my 50th birthday and 2020 was the year of questioning: the urgency to take care of myself and my health.
After obtaining the results of several medical examinations, it was necessary to think about making changes in my life.
Not being athletic at heart, my sedentary lifestyle was starting to harm me physically. Morally also because I felt guilty in front of this situation, I was perfectly aware that it was necessary to move but unfortunately I never had the time, neither the desire nor the courage ...
As an active woman, divorced and a single mother, I was able to juggle my job, my children, my house; while trying to find time for my friends and my lover (we don't live under the same roof). There was never room for physical activity and I always felt tired.
However, I kept blaming myself for doing nothing, and I told myself, after all, other women in my situation do, so why not me? By dint of motivating myself with positive thoughts, the click took place.
For several months now, I have taken charge of my health and my well-being. I changed some habits and adopt a better hygiene of life.
I no longer neglect my health, I do more regular medical follow-ups, I do physical activity several times a week and I have made it a priority.
It's a long-term job and I know that you shouldn't give up and do it one day at a time. I have to keep the motivation, I feel better physically and calm mentally.
A.K - Japon
Self-care was not a concept I paid attention to before the pandemic. In fact, I have to admit, I didn't care. Work kept me extremely busy.
During the pandemic, everything stopped and I found myself with free time that needed to be filled. I started to walk.
Of course, all this time available was also an opportunity to start enjoying delicious desserts.
All the more reasons not to give up walking.
S.H. - Ontario, Canada
Hum... Self care ! I couldn't think of anything and had to ask my family "do I do anything for self-care?" so I guess that gives you an idea of how bad I am at it.
Then I realized that my favourite self-care activity has always been baking. Baking transports me to a happy, stressless place where I am free to listen to loud music and create to my heart's content. As an added bonus, my favourite self-care activity benefits those around me. Who doesn't like muffins, fresh from the oven?
During the pandemic I discovered another activity that I really enjoy: making movies. It started as a project to help my daughter occupy her time at the beginning of the pandemic but flourished into a creative outlet for me!
I'm no Scorsese but I take real joy in shooting and editing the short videos that we have been sharing with family and friends. It's also become a favourite family activity so I get to share in the fun with my loved ones. Some people might not view a group activity as self-care but I believe that any activity that brings happiness to you, is a form of caring for oneself.
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”
Oprah
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