7 Unexpected Ways For Practicing Self-Care To Minimize Stress While Isolating

Practicing self-care during stressful times is sure to help you stay healthy. If you’re feeling anxious about this worldwide health scare, (and who isn’t?) try these simple, yet potent tips.

Stress Is Building

States are shutting down entire school systems, restaurants are closed and you may be quarantined at home.

Or like me, maybe you went to the store simply because you needed a few paper products to find out they were SOLD OUT. And so was all the organic produce.

I’ve noticed highway driving is crazier than ever – people are aggressive, driving 80+ miles an hour and going through red lights on local streets.

All this stress is not helpful if you want to stay healthy.

That got me thinking – WE NEED TO RELAX! I sure do. What about you?

How to Stay Emotionally Balanced

But if you watch the news, it’s hard to relax. And even if you don’t watch or listen, there’s no way to avoid it completely. What should you do and where do we go from here?

There’s so much fear and worry. And chronic stress puts your health at risk in so many ways.

Managing your stress and taking care of your personal needs has got to become your top priority. What are you doing, if anything, to keep yourself emotionally balanced?

Practicing Self-Care

This is why I wanted to share my seven potent self-care ideas. Because the truth is, now more than ever, whether you have children at home or not, you MUST take care of yourself.

The fact is practicing self-care should be part of everyone’s regular healthy routine. Self-care is evidence of self-love. This is how you show yourself some love by taking time to de-stress and do what is in your own best interest.

The act of self-care does not need to be expensive or overly time-consuming. It’s really anything that supports your physical, mental and emotional well being.

7 Potent Ideas for Self-Care

You’ll find these ideas for practicing self-care to be rather simple and easy. That doesn’t mean they don’t work or  won’t make a difference because THEY WILL. You may already be doing a couple of them.

1. Breathe Deeply

Add a bit of deep breathing to your daily routine. Deep breathing sends out signals to your body that lower your heart rate and blood pressure. As a result, the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) pumped into your system is reduced – which is so important!

In addition, oxygen nourishes your cells to keep them working optimally. Here are a few simple deep breathing exercises from the University of California at Berkeley.

One of the most simple I learned recently from my friend, Krista Polinsky, Feng Shui Practitioner and Energy Healer. She called this “Box Breathing.” You breathe in slowly to the count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, then do nothing for four and start again.

After just three or four rounds you’ll automatically start to feel more relaxed and be able to breathe more deeply. What an easy way for practicing self-care.

2. Walk in the Sunshine

It’s not just an old wives tale – the fresh air is good for you. Being out in nature and getting some sunshine builds up vitamin D and gets you moving. Exercise is great for reducing stress and your cortisol levels.

If you can walk in nature even better – a great way to shift your mindset and energy. Nature is defined by plant life. Even in a city you can find trees, grass and bushes.

Walking by the water is ideal, since you can release an over abundance of positive ions that naturally build up. Water has lots of negative ions that literally balance you out.

3. Apply Essential Oils

There is a ton of research on the benefits of Essential Oils. The plant-based oils work on the physical level and your emotions too. There are several oils that help you feel energized and more emotionally buoyant.

I use doTERRA oils, known for being very high quality and pure. The more pure the oil, the more powerful the results.

While Lavender might be the oil that comes to mind first, practicing self-care in this situation calls for something stronger!

I created a special blend I’m calling Buoyant Balance that includes oils that:

• Cleanse your energy and dispel despair
• Invigorate and give you energy
• Naturally lift your mood
• Help you feel joyful and playful
• Restore your confidence in people and the world

Get your own roll-on bottle here.

4. Catch Up with Old Friends

Sometimes talking to an old friend, one who knows you well is good for your soul. Remembering experiences, telling your buddy what’s new, reconnecting and having a good laugh.

Whether you’ve lost touch or just haven’t spoken in a while, you can still talk on the phone during  self-imposed isolation.

Pick up the phone and call – no texting for this exercise. The restorative power and connection are in the voice.

5. Listen to Guided Meditations

When you meditate, you literally give your brain a chance to rest from over thinking and worry. Some of you may meditate regularly, but if you are unfamiliar with the process, one of the easiest ways is to listen to guided meditations.

You simply sit in a chair or lie down and listen to a person narrating an imaginary journey. Following along takes you away from every day thoughts and gives you the ability to stop the circular thinking that causes so much stress.

I recently published the Blissful Heart Meditation Series which includes 10 20-minute guided journeys about love and your heart. They are not all about dating!

A few titles that would be relaxing and a great way for practicing self-care include Clear the Heart, Heart Healing, Open the Heart and Go for Gratitude. Every meditation starts with a segment focused on relaxing the body and breathing.

They are only $15 for the entire series or if you are new to Audible.com, you can get them for FREE !

6. Smudge Yourself

In the Native American tradition, as well as several others, smudging is a common practice to clear away negative energies. Nonsense you say? You can’t see air either, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there!

To keep yourself emotionally balanced, buy a sage smudge stick which is usually a blend of herbs. Sometimes the sage is mixed with sweet grass or juniper. You can buy one on Amazon, but a local specialty shop will often carry this kind of thing as well.

You simply light the stick of herbs and then blow out the flame. This creates a fragrant smoke. Make calm strokes from head to toe, clearing both the front and back of your body. You might need someone’s help to get the back or do the best you can.

Cleanse Your Home Too

You can also cleanse the energy of your home by walking around your home with the smoking stick. Carry a small dish or shell under it to catch any possible embers. Be sure to crack open the windows or a door a little to let the energy of what you no longer need out.

When done, tamp the stick out against glass, pottery or stone, so no embers remain and let it cool before storing.

You are sure to feel lighter and freer once you complete this simple ritual which dates back for eons and is perfect for practicing self-care.

7. Someone Who Listens

Sometimes it just helps to talk to someone who is not part of your every day life and feel heard. A professional has the ability to be more objective and has proven tools and methods to help shift your mindset, outlook and patterns.

I can be that person and have helped women feel more confident, discover opportunities, feel more positive and love themselves. From this more optimistic place, almost anything is possible.

Click to try one session and experience how mindset coaching could help.

Wishing you love and well-being,