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Tales from Utah Valley: Take time every day for self-care

By Laura Giles - Special to the Daily Herald | Apr 24, 2022

Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press

People hold an outdoors yoga class in Elysian Park Los Angeles on Nov. 6, 2021.

It’s important to care for other people. In fact, in just the last few months, there have been articles in the Daily Herald about donating to local food banks, suicide prevention, supporting teachers, helping the homeless, ways to prevent domestic violence and plenty more. But, one thing we often overlook is taking care of ourselves.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, self-care means taking time to do things that will improve both physical health and mental health. “When it comes to your mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact,” it reads.

So, how can we practice self-care? If you need some great ideas … or inspiration … or even a little nudging to actually do it, look no further than the PG Cares Facebook and Instagram pages. Every Sunday is Self-Care Sunday on these pages with posts that can help us help ourselves.

“Laughing is an important part of self-care. It releases all the good chemicals in the brain,” reads a post from April 17.

“Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things we can do to take care of ourselves. Sleep affects every aspect of our lives, physical, emotional, even intellectual. We cannot remember or retain information when sleep deprived,” reads another post, dated March 20.

“With everything going on in the world right now, it is normal to feel overwhelmed. Be delicate with yourselves and with others,” it reads from February 27. Each post is accompanied by facts, research, quotes and great ideas.

PG Cares, Pleasant Grove’s Communities That Care Coalition, is headed up by Tamara Oborn. She posts about self-care so often because she believes that self-awareness is vital, as well as being honest about our emotions and communicating our needs. “Our loved ones often desperately want to support us, but no one can read our minds. The hope is that we can find our way out of our darkest places and prevent tragedy when we are taking time to truly care for ourselves,” she said.

Oborn said that in today’s busy world, we live in a state of constant burnout. “It’s easy to ignore our own emotions and other needs while taking care of everyone else. That often means our emotions are out of control or completely numb.”

True self-care is more than bubble baths, naps and chocolate — although those can be good. Oborn said that real self-care is making room in our lives for things that we all need: connecton with people we love, taking care of our physical bodies, making time for hobbies, learning something new, being creative, communicating clearly and setting healthy boundaries.

One of the most frequently mentioned methods of self-care endorsed by the NIMH is getting regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking each day can boost moods and improve health. Eating healthy, regular meals and staying hydrated, making sleep a priority, setting goals and priorities, practicing gratitude, focusing on positivity, staying connected to friends and family members and trying relaxing activities, such as journaling or one of my personal favorites – yoga – are also some recommendations. Try them out and figure out what work best for you.

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