How to Take Care of Yourself in a Crisis

Friends, during this stressful time. One of the things on my mind is being strong for my family. I’m sure you feel this way too.

When they look back on this, I want my children to say that, yes, this was a challenging time, but their mom and dad managed the situation with peace and calm, rather than panic and chaos.

In order to do that, I need to take care of myself, so I revisited my self-care needs and then recorded this episode for you, so that you can take good care of yourself, too.

If you would like more inspiration, download my Ultimate Guide to Guilt-Free Self-Care HERE!

And join us in the Life Designed Community on Facebook! 

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to A Life Designed.
 
My name is Tina Haisman. I help women who are struggling with the overwhelm of trying to balance being a wife, mother and career-woman.
 
When they work with me, they discover how to design their life so they can live in alignment with their priorities. I help them make the experience of their lives match their desires for their lives.
 
The topic of today’s podcast is …
 
How to Take Care of Yourself in a Crisis
 
But before we get started, I have something for you that will most definitely help with this topic. It is my Ultimate Guide to Guilt-Free Self-Care. You can download it for free on my website, tinahaisman.com.
 
I would also like to invite you to my private group on Facebook where you can come to get positive inspiration for your life. Search A Life Designed in the facebook search bar.
 
Now let’s Dive IN and talk about …  
 
How to Take Care of Yourself in a Crisis
 
Holy cow, friends. This is no joke what is going on right now. This kind of stress is truly unprecedented in our world. And it is happening to all of us at the same time.
 
Because I love you all, I want to encourage you to make self-care a priority. This will give you the strength, peace and clarity of mind that you need to take care of your family during this stressful time.
 
I discovered a formula for self-care in the bible. Specifically in Mark 12:30 where Jesus told us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength … I feel like if we are called to love God with those 4 things, then we need to make sure we take care of those 4 aspects of ourselves.
 
So, let’s take a look at some ideas for self-care in each of these 4 areas.
 
Starting with the Heart. This is an especially important time to take care of your emotional health. There are a few great ways to do that.
 
One thing is to try to maintain your connection with your friends and family during this time. Support from our loved ones is so important right now. We are all in this together, and it helps to stay connected so we know that.
 
I know we are all being separated physically, so what can you do to connect virtually with your friends and family. Texting, Calling, Hopping on Zoom, Facetiming. Use all of the tools available to you. Make this a regular part of your routine right now.
 
Another great way to take care of your heart is to practice kindness.
 
Kindness is literally proven to boost happiness, ease anxiety and reduce stress. There are many people experiencing difficulties right now who could benefit from a little kindness today! What can you do to spread kindness and love in your corner of the world today?
 
Now, let’s move on to step 2: taking care of your Soul. For me this starts with God. We absolutely need this to find peace in this situation, and the best place is through God.
 
Because your friends and family can only do so much for you – they are stressed, too. It’s a great time for us all to remember, God is the ultimate provider. Talk with him. Listen to him. Allow him to bring you comfort.
 
Look to His Word for peace. There are so many bible verses that will help you find peace in this uncertainty.
 
For example, Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
 
In this crazy world right now it might seem like an earthquake. But there will be peace again. Earthquakes don’t last forever, and neither will the situation we are currently in.  
 
Other ways to take care of your soul will feel good to your soul. Things like getting outside in nature. Singing, dancing, listening to music or doing art. Try to incorporate some soul care into your routine right now.
 
Step 3 is to take care of your mind.
 
Our minds are working overtime right now with worry and trying to figure out the logistics of life for the next few weeks. If we don’t work to take care of our mind, we will feel more stressed and we might say or do things that we will later regret.
 
And so it’s important to manage our stress and stay positive so we can stay calm.
 
I know you might be spending a lot of time reading the news or social media. I would encourage you to just consume what you need. Set a limit on time and check back later. Too much of this information is overwhelming and not good for us.
 
One of the best ways to do this is to take time to journal these emotions out of your head. Otherwise, your they will overtake you. And yes. It is truly important that you actually write these things down.
 
Taking the time to physically write them down slows down your mind and gives you a chance to connect. It deepens the impact of the exercise by removing mental blocks to help you understand yourself and your circumstances better.
 
Studies also show that regular journaling helps people be healthier, sleep better and have increased self-confidence and mental health.
 
I recommend a DAILY 3-step journaling process to my clients. You can do it in only 5 minutes.
 
First write down everything on your mind. All of the thoughts and feelings and fears and worries you are having about everything going on. Just get it all out. It’s so healing to take the time to do this. And it honors those thoughts and emotions.
 
Next, I want you to write down everything you are grateful for – even in the midst of this crisis. Are you having a little more downtime? Are you able to spend more time with your children? Are you finding more time for prayer? Are you enjoying watching the community come together to take care of those in need?
 
Look for everything good that you can find. This practice of gratitude is actually scientifically proven to help rewire your brain to make you feel happier.
 
The 3rd step is to write down your intention for how you want to feel. You will write it in the present tense, as if it already exists.
 
For example. I am peaceful today. I am joyful today. I am grateful today. THEN. I want you to go about your day looking for evidence of this.
 
Not evidence of how bad you feel or how worried you are. Look for evidence of how you WANT to feel. You will find it! I promise!
 
Finally, step 4, taking care of your Body. The first step is to get back to basics. Eat. Drink. Sleep. Exercise. I know in the initial stages of this crisis, you might not have been able to do any of these things well. And the temptation is there to throw all of your good habits out the window, but this will only make us feel worse.
 
We all need healthy food. Plenty of water. Lots of sleep. And at least a little bit of exercise.
 
You know the benefits of each of these, but you might still be finding them hard to do. Here are some tips.

If you’re having trouble finding the energy to prepare healthy meals or eat. Try some smoothies or protein bars. They are simple and fast. And they will help lift your mood. Junk food only brings you lower.
 
Water. Water. Water. You need to be drinking ½ your body weight in ounces of water. This will help you clear your mind and detox your body. You really need this water right now. If you struggle, use tricks, like trying new water bottles or glasses. Or sparkling water. Whatever it takes. 
 
Then there is the exercise. There is no need to go crazy on the exercise. Just daily walks will be enough. Or maybe running around with your children. Also, in this day and age, there are so many cool online workouts. Many of them are free! So, even if you can’t get to your gym, you can get a little workout in.
 
So, I think I’ll stop there for today. We could go on with ideas about this. I just wanted to connect with you and make sure you were thinking about taking care of yourself during this time.
 
I know it might feel easier said than done, so if you need help, pease, reach out to me.
 
Thank you so much for listening in. Please let me know if you have any specific questions.
 
Remember! To download your free Guide to Guilt Free Self Care and join us in the Life Designed community on Facebook.
 
Thank you! See you next week!