We are more than a year now into the COVID-19 pandemic and some of us are starting to really feel the weight, the heaviness of, well, everything. Some of us are finding ourselves feeling stressed and anxious about not being able to be with our family and friends, of continuing to have to work from home or of having to go to the office and be with other people. Some of us are finding ourselves not sure how to manage the feelings that come along with stress and anxiety.

When we are feeling stressed and anxious, we sometimes find that do not know how to make ourselves feel better in ways that are healthy and adaptable. Sometimes we are inclined to turn to alcohol or other substances. For some, this can become problematic and make stress and anxiety exponentially worse. There are other alternatives. There are healthy ways to manage stress and anxiety.

One of the best ways to cope with stress and anxiety is to get some exercise. We know that 30 minutes of exercise three to five days a week can help us regulate anxiety. This can be anything that gets your body moving: a walk, a run, a bike ride, take a boxing class, participate in an online or in-person exercise class depending on your comfort level. Do something that feels good to you and gets your heart rate up. Not only will this help manage stress and anxiety, but exercising regularly often can lead to better sleep, which will, in turn, help you manage your stress and anxiety.

Practice mindfulness and/or meditation. I recently started practicing meditation and admit this can be a challenge for those of us whose minds frequently wander. Feel free to start with a short meditation of 30 seconds or one minute. There are several apps you can try to do this, including Calm and Headspace. Some Fitbit apps offer meditations, as well. You can practice meditation during stressful periods of your work day or whenever you feel you need a short break. Mindfulness can be practiced throughout your day by simply noticing what you are doing without judgement. You can practice mindfulness while washing your hands by noticing the soap becoming bubbly and by noticing how it feels as you work it over your fingers and hand. Notice the water becoming warmer and warmer as you massage the soap over your hands. Mindfulness can be practiced while you are walking or running by simply noticing your foot falls, notice what your feet feel like in your shoes. Mindfulness and meditation can help relieve stress and anxiety by helping you be more present in the moment.

Reach out to a trusted other. This could a be a friend, a family member or a mental health professional. I started working with someone yesterday who was beginning to feel lonely not being able to meet with her friends in person because of the pandemic. She told me that she often feels as though she is always the one reaching out to check on her people and rarely felt as though people were checking in on her. I understand that feeling. It is okay to reach out for extra help during those times when you are feeling particularly lonely. It takes more courage to ask for help than it does to suffer in silence. Share with someone you trust what you are feeling. Tell someone why you are feeling stressed and anxious. It is possible the person with whom you are sharing may be feeling similarly.

Practice good self-care. When we think of self-care we sometimes think this has to be something big but in reality it could be something little. Anything you enjoy doing that is just for you counts as self-care. Maybe that means getting a massage if you feel safe doing so and can afford it. Maybe that means listening to your favorite podcast or listening to some music. Maybe that means binge watching your favorite program. Maybe that means watching your favorite movie for the umpteenth time. Do something that makes you feel good.

Take a break. With so many people working from home while trying to manage children who are remote learning, it can feel as though there is no line between work and home. I encourage folks to make sure that if they are working from home and have the space to do so to make sure their work space is completely separate from their home space. If you can, keep your home office out of your bedroom. Make sure that when your work day is over, you take a few moments to transition into the rest of your day. Try to maintain a clear work schedule that begins and ends at a specific time. It is okay to set that boundary.

Remember that stress and anxiety are normal. We all feel these things from time to time but there are healthy ways to manage these feelings. Turning to alcohol could likely just exacerbate your feelings and for some people, anxiety is heightened if using marijuana. Try using your adaptive, healthy coping skills instead. And if need be, reach out to a professional. There are people who can help you develop healthy coping skills. There are people who care.

Today marks Easter Sunday in the United States, a day of resurrection and rebirth and I find myself thinking about how we who are living can be reborn in our own lives. Perhaps we can do so by making the decision to take better care of our physical and mental health.

So many of us still are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to rage across the globe. So many of us have found ourselves living with anxiety, depression and loneliness. We find ourselves unable to sleep well. We find our appetite has changed. We find our minds racing. We find ourselves unable to connect physically with far-away friends and loved ones, leaving us feeling lonely and detached. We do not have to continue to live this way. There are decisions we can make to ease the burden of these feelings.

I often say that it takes more courage to reach out for help than it does to suffer in silence. It is okay to not be okay and it is okay to seek assistance in dealing with anxiety, depression, loneliness and disconnection. It is okay to make the decision to take charge of your mental health, just as it is to make decisions that are good for your physical health. Talking to a professional about whatever you may be suffering with emotionally should be no different than going to a professional about your physical health. Make the decision to take care of yourself: mind, body and soul. Make the decision to take care of you.

Many of us have found during this global health crisis that we have turned to alcohol or other substances to help us through. Perhaps you have found that you are drinking more or smoking more marijuana or using cocaine, heroin or other opioids to help get you through this difficult time. Perhaps your use has become problematic. It is okay to make the decision to reach out for help to learn how to manage your use, to control your use or to stop using. It is okay to take care of you.

I understand that asking for help to manage depression, anxiety, loneliness, disconnection, substance use can seem daunting. I understand that asking for help can feel scary, especially if you have never spoken to a professional about your mental health or substance use issues. Know that we are here to help. Know that we will not judge you for struggling; we all struggle sometimes. Know that you are not alone in your struggles. Nearly one in five people live with mental illness at any one time. Likely more than not you know someone else who is struggling with mental health concerns.

Some people may believe that living with mental illness or substance use disorders make them weak. This could not be further from the truth. Mental illnesses and substance use disorders are not flaws in character; they are flaws in chemistry. They are illnesses, just like any other illnesses, and can be treated. Make the decision to get help if you need it. You deserve to take care of your mental health. You deserve to live free of the shackles of substance use disorders. You deserve to live a happy, healthy life. All you have to do is make the decision to reach out. All you have to do is make the decision to ask for help. There are people who care and who want to help you be reborn in happiness.

We now are more than one year into a global health crisis that has left many of us wracked with depression, anxiety and loneliness. Many of us have taken the past year to learn more about ourselves, to become the people we always were meant to be. For some, this has been difficult and some people continue to find it challenging to offer themselves kindness, grace and compassion for struggling with difficult thoughts, feelings and emotions.

What happens if instead of beating ourselves up for struggling this past year, we turn toward ourselves with compassion and understanding. What happens if we offer ourselves the same compassion and understanding that we likely offer our friends and loved ones? What happens if we try to stop criticizing ourselves for trying to manage difficult emotions?

It can be difficult to offer oneself compassion, but doing so allows us to be even more compassionate with those we love. Offering ourselves compassion means speaking kindly to ourselves, being gentle with ourselves and coming to realize that we are doing the best we can with what we have right now. It has been a very difficult year for so many of us. It is okay to feel overwhelmed with challenging emotions such as sadness, loneliness, anger. It is perfectly normal to find yourself mourning the loss of whatever your “normal” was prior to the pandemic. Doing so simply means that you are human. Offer yourself some grace for what you are dealing with. Beating yourself up for dealing with negative or challenging emotions likely will only make you feel worse. Try to practice loving kindness with and toward yourself.

Offering yourself loving kindness when you are struggling with difficult emotions will allow you to let go of any negative self-criticism. It is perfectly okay to be struggling right now. It is perfectly okay to admit that this past year has been very challenging. Doing so does not make you weak. Doing so makes you human.

What happens if you give yourself permission to feel those challenging emotions? What happens if you accept the fact that feeling negative or challenging emotions is a part of life and something that we all deal with? The fact that you may feel sad, lonely, depressed or anxious does not mean that you somehow are a lesser human being. It simply means that you may be struggling, and that is okay. We all struggle from time to time. Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to feel. If you find that those negative feelings have become overwhelming, reach out to a trusted other, be it a friend, family member or mental health professional. It is okay to ask for help. It takes more courage to ask for help than it does to suffer in silence.

Asking for help to learn how to manage challenging emotions can feel freeing. So will speaking to yourself kindly and with love. The more we step away from negative self-talk the easier it is to come to love and accept yourself for being human and feeling challenging emotions. What happens if instead of berating ourselves for feeling negative emotions, we speak to ourselves with kindness when we do? What if we speak to ourselves with love, likely as we would speak to a friend or family member who is struggling? Offer yourself that same love and compassion. You deserve it.

We are now just about one year into a global health crisis that has left many of us feeling overwhelmed, depressed and anxious. Many of us have found ourselves struggling to make the best of what can easily be described as a very challenging year. I frequently find myself trying to remember what this year has offered, rather than thinking about what I have been missing, and keep coming back to the idea that this past year has allowed many of us more time to focus on what is important, who is important.

And while many of us have come to learn who and what really deserves our attention, some people still struggle with the notion that among the things that deserve our attention is us, is ourselves. One year into the pandemic and I have come to realize that many of us still believe that taking care of ourselves is not necessary and so meeting our own needs still falls by the wayside. I find myself wondering why that is. Perhaps some of us do not believe that we are worthy of our own attention. Perhaps some believe that our needs do not matter. That could not be further from the truth. If we fail to take care of ourselves, it makes it that much more difficult to take care of those we love.

I was working with a client yesterday talking about what she has learned about herself during the pandemic, about what she has decided is most important in her life. Among her top priorities were work, her marriage, her friends and, finally, herself. All of these things are admirable. But I wondered what would happen if she moved herself up on that list of priorities. What happens if we make ourselves a priority? What happens if we take the time to listen to our bodies and nourish ourselves in the way we need? What happens if we take care ourselves first?

Some people believe that putting themselves first means ignoring others. That does not have to be true. Putting ourselves first can and should mean that we take care of our own needs so that we may be better able to take care of those we love. You cannot pour from an empty cup. If you do not take care of your needs, if you do not take time to nourish yourself, you run the risk of burnout and will not be able to take care of those you love. Making sure your needs are met is not selfish, it is imperative.

Some of us have trouble with the notion that it is okay to take time just for us, to rest, to take care of our minds, bodies and souls. Some of us believe that we do not deserve to have our needs met. Some of us do not believe that we are worthy of our own attention. But what happens if we go too long without meeting our needs? More likely than not we will begin to feel burned out, depressed and anxious. Taking care of ourselves can help ward off feelings of sadness, of exhaustion, of anxiety. We deserve to live a life where our needs are met and it is more than acceptable to meet those needs ourselves.

How do we meet our own needs when we have been putting others before us for so long? The best way is to get in touch with what you are feeling and that requires you to sit quietly and allow yourself to listen to your mind and your body. If you can give yourself permission to just be for a few minutes, your body will tell you what you need. It may feel uncomfortable to just sit in silence with no distractions for a few minutes but doing so will allow you to notice what you are feeling and will give you an opportunity to name that feeling. Notice without judgement what you are feeling and your body will tell you what you need. Perhaps your body is crying out to have a physical need of hunger or thirst or rest met. Perhaps your body is telling you your emotional needs are not being met. Whatever your body is telling you, try to meet that need yourself. You deserve to take care of your own needs. Taking the time to meet your own needs is not selfish. It is necessary for survival.

What can you do today to take care of yourself? What needs have gone unmet? What can you do today to meet those needs? You deserve, just as much as anybody, to meet your own needs. Notice what your body is telling you and respond appropriately. Take the time to nourish yourself.

We now are more than one year into a global health crisis that has left many of us feeling emotionally exhausted. We have become tired of being in lockdown, tired of not being able to spend time in person with family and friends, tired of having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of us have found ourselves without employment and so have been busying ourselves at home with tasks, to-do lists and projects. All of this may have left you feeling physically and emotionally exhausted.

When our minds and bodies become exhausted, it can be difficult to enjoy life. We may lose interest in doing things that once brought us pleasure. When this happens, it may be time to stop and listen to your mind and body. Is it time to take a break? Is it time for you to rest? For so many people, giving yourself permission to rest can be very challenging. Some of us feel as though we are “lazy” if we simply stop working on our projects, checking off things on our to-do lists or completing tasks. And while that word “lazy” has only four letters, it can seem like a big word with heavy connotations. What does it mean to be or feel lazy? Does that say something about who you are as a person? What does it mean if you take a break, listen to your mind and body and simply rest?

During this pandemic, I have worked with several people who feel as though they must be constantly productive, particularly if they are not working at the moment. Some of these people are finding themselves just as exhausted as if they were working a regular 40-hour-per-week job. What causes that need to feel constantly productive? Why must we feel as though we must always be busy? What happens if we just take some time to just be? What happens if we stop the glorification of busy?

The need to feel constantly productive can leave us feeling as though we are not good enough, never doing enough, never accomplishing enough. That feeling of never enough ultimately can take a toll on your mental health, leaving you with a feeling of being less than if you are not constantly accomplishing something. Perhaps it is time to fight back against that feeling and give yourself permission to take a break, a likely much-deserved break. This pandemic has taken a toll on all of us. It is perfectly okay to stop working on tasks and projects and to rest. We all need rest. We all deserve rest, both physical rest and emotional rest. Your mind and body will tell you when it is time to take a break, if you slow down and take the time to listen to it.

Some of us find it challenging to slow down and to rest because we are afraid of what might happen if we do so. What happens if you stop and listen to your mind and body? Will you be overcome with unwanted thoughts, feelings or emotions? What happens if you allow yourself to sit with those thoughts, feelings and emotions? What happens if you allow those thoughts, feelings and emotions to come and accept them without judgement? What happens if you stop being busy long enough to hear what your mind and body are trying to tell you? What happens if you allow yourself to rest?

Resting allows us an opportunity to get in touch with what we really are thinking and feeling. For some, doing so may seem frightening as staying busy can help keep unwanted thoughts and feelings at bay. It is okay to sit with those thoughts and feelings, so that you may better come to know yourself and what you need. If we do not listen to our thoughts and feelings, our needs can go unmet. And if our needs go unmet, our physical and mental health can suffer. What can you do to take some time to rest? Can you give yourself permission to just be? Can you give yourself permission to listen to your mind and body, determine your needs and meet them yourself? Can you give yourself permission to rest?

We are coming up on Valentine’s Day, a day where we show others just how much we love them. I wonder what would happen if we showed ourselves that same love that we give so freely to others? How often do we criticize ourselves and speak to ourselves in ways we never would address friends or loved ones? How we talk to ourselves matters. Years ago, a teacher spoke to me about the importance of self-love, the unconditional love of self that fosters a strong sense of self-esteem. As I age, I understand more and more how self-love is essential to my being.

Self-love is not selfish love. Self-love does not mean putting my needs, wants and desires above everyone else’s. Self-love involves speaking kindly to oneself, it means being compassionate toward oneself, it involves being patient with oneself. Self-love means understanding that you are doing the best you can with what you have right now. Self-love means taking care of yourself, for if you do not take care of yourself, how can you possibly take care of anyone else?

I recently practiced self-love for a month or so. Sure, it was difficult at first, but the more I practiced, the easier it became (as is the case with anything). Instead of speaking harshly to myself when I made a mistake, I reminded myself that mistakes are our way of learning how to do something better. I used terms such as “darling” and “honey” and “beautiful” to refer to myself instead of more derogatory terms. I spoke to myself the way I would address a friend or loved one, with kindness and compassion.

We almost never would speak to our friends and loved ones in the ways we sometimes speak to ourselves. And we certainly never would tolerate being spoken to by anyone else the way we sometimes speak to ourselves. What we say to ourselves matters. How can we love ourselves when we refer to ourselves in derogatory, harsh ways? What would happen if instead of calling ourselves something like “dumbass” we called ourselves “darling?” What would happen if instead of berating ourselves for making a mistake, we congratulated ourselves on doing so and for having the courage to find a way to do something better?

We all deserve love and belonging and that love should start with love of self. Self-love takes practice, indeed. What can you do today to start your journey of self-love? Can you find something beautiful about yourself and offer yourself a compliment? Can you find something you are good at and congratulate yourself? Can you find healthy ways to show yourself love? The more you practice self-love by offering yourself kindness and compassion, the easier it will be to show others love.

I find myself working with several clients lately who are struggling with perfectionism and am reminded that nothing in life ever is perfect. The word “perfect” often is overused to describe something or a set of circumstances, but is anything ever really perfect? Looking out my office window at a fresh blanket of cold, white snow I am reminded that nothing is perfect, not even in nature.

In remembering that nothing is perfect, I am reminded of a client with whom I am working who is constantly striving for perfection. She finally has admitted that this constant striving for perfection has left her perpetually feeling disappointed, depressed and anxious. She was telling me how she constantly is working to learn more, work more, do more for friends, family and home. She was telling me that striving to be perfect in everything she does has left her feeling drained and completely exhausted. I asked her what would happen if she were not perfect in all she does. Would she be any less deserving of love and belonging? She thought for a moment and then slowly shook her head “no.”

There is nothing wrong with striving to do your best at work and in your relationships, but no one should expect you to be perfect. Perfection is unattainable. Perfection is boring. We are not loved because we are perfect. We are loved because we are perfectly imperfect. It is our imperfections that make us human. No one is perfect, yet we so often expect ourselves to be perfect. We sometimes demand too much of ourselves. All we can do is out best, and that is enough.

In striving to do more, be more, to do everything perfectly, we set ourselves up for failure. We cannot be perfect in all we do. Striving for perfection is, in a way, a form of self-sabotage. Do those of us who strive for perfection think we will be more worthy if we attain the unattainable? What does it mean if we do not reach perfection? Can we learn to love ourselves even though we are not perfect? Can we accept ourselves as the wonderfully made, beautifully flawed creatures that we are?

I am not suggesting that we strive for mediocrity. Absolutely, try to do your best for yourself and for others, but remember that nothing in life is perfect. Doing more, working more, will not make you perfect. We were not born to be human doings, we were born to be human beings and human beings are not perfect. We never were meant to be.

What can yo do today to show yourself some love simply for being human, for being wonderful and flawed and still worthy of love and belonging? What would happen if you just loved yourself for simply being human?

We are in the third week of the new year and we continue to navigate a global health crisis that has left many of us wondering not just how much longer we can endure this but what is there for which to be thankful? So many of us are finding ourselves in a negative headspace about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so many of us are tired of being in quarantine, of having to stay away from family and friends, so many of us are longing for a return to “normal.” What if instead of looking at the glass, as it were, as half empty, we opted to look at the glass in a different way?

It can be difficult to try to stay positive in times like these. So many of us are experiencing a tiredness, an exhaustion, a weariness stemming from the pandemic. These feelings can leave us with a heaviness, a sadness and leave us finding it challenging to find the good in … anything. But if you really stop and take a look around, there still is good to be found. We just may have to look a little bit harder for that good. We can find the good in small things that happen to us every day. Maybe you enjoyed a really good cup of coffee or tea this morning? Chalk that up to something good. Maybe you received a phone call, text message, email or video chat invite from a friend of family member. Chalk that up to something good. Maybe you had a colleague compliment you on a task well done at work. Chalk that up to something good. Maybe you heard birds singing while you were outside today. Chalk that up to something good. The “good” things in your day do not have to be monumental; they can be the little things that we sometimes take for granted. You may have to pay more attention to those little things now than you might have pre-pandemic, but they are there. Stop and look for them.

Looking for the good in what seems to be a constant barrage of bad news and what for many has seemed a long string of bad days can be challenging. Indeed, our brains are hardwired to pay attention to the bad stuff more than the good stuff. In fact, we are 70 per cent more likely to encode the bad than we are the good. It takes more effort to find the good than it does the bad. But doing so can literally change your outlook on life. If you practice noticing the small good things, even the smallest moments of joy, you can rewire your brain to be more positive. Doing so ultimately could impact your mental health, something many of us may be struggling with during these challenging times.

Yes, we continue to do battle with the coronavirus and now its more contagious mutation. We are tired. We are longing for a return to normal, whatever normal may look like once we’re past the pandemic. That does not mean the past year has all been for naught. I suspect the past year has taught you that you are more resilient than you perhaps previously thought. Perhaps this past year has allowed you time to slow down and spend more time with your immediate family. Perhaps this past year has allowed you to find new and creative ways to keep in touch with those you do not share living space with. Perhaps this past year has helped you think about who and what is most important to you. Perhaps this past year has afforded you the time to really get to know who you are and decide who you want to be.

There is always something good that comes out of something bad. You may have to pause and think about what that good is, but it is there. Looking for it, looking on the bright side, can help improve your mental health. Doing so takes practice but I suspect you will find that with a more positive outlook on life, you will notice your mood improve dramatically. Yes, the past year has been difficult but it has not been without its good and its lessons. What have you learned about yourself, your life in the past year during this pandemic? We could choose to look as the glass of life as half empty. We could choose to look at the glass of life as half full. Or, we could really take a step back and come to the realization that that glass is refillable. The choice is up to you.

We are nearing the end of what for so many has been an extremely challenging year. We remain in the midst of a global health pandemic that has left more than one million people dead. We remain in tough and uncertain economic times. Many of us are left wondering how much more we can bear. And while the year has been tough for so many of us, hopefully we can look back at the year and remember what we have learned not just about the world, but about ourselves.

Perhaps one of the greatest lessons 2020 has left us with is that we are adaptable. We have learned new ways to work, to attend school, to communicate, to show our love, to exercise, to practice self-care and to take care of both our physical and our mental health. We have learned that while some things have been canceled, like concerts and in-person school, other things like hope, faith, love and kindness have not been canceled.

When we think about hope, we know that hope is the promise not just that things will get better but the understanding that regardless of what happens, we will be okay in the end. The pandemic will, eventually, end. And although we may have lost loved ones to the virus, we will move on from grief, in our own time and in our own way. Hope reminds us that while we may have lost our job, something will come to us in the future. Hope reminds us that we can endure; it may be tough but we will make it.

When we think about what this year has taught us, perhaps we are reminded about who and what is important to us. What really matters in your life? Who really matters? I think 2020 has taught us to be creative in the way we reach out to those we love and care about. Perhaps this challenging year has afforded you the opportunity to reach out to friends and family in creative ways, such as video chats, snail mail cards and letters, text messages and old-fashioned phone calls. Perhaps this past year has allowed you the opportunity to re-establish connections with friends with whom you have not spoken in a while. Perhaps this year helped you strengthen emotional bonds with the people most important to you.

I think this year has taught me and others to be creative in the ways we practice self-care. I think this year has taught us that self-care is crucial to our mental health and that it serves to allow us to give the best of ourselves to our loved ones, rather than giving what is left of ourselves. I hope this year has taught us that self-care is not selfish, it is an act of self-love. Perhaps this past year has forced you to find new ways to better take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. Perhaps this was the year you found yourself struggling with depression and anxiety and so reached out to a mental health professional to learn ways to navigate those feelings. Perhaps you learned this year that it takes more courage to reach out for help than it does to suffer in silence.

And just as we have learned that it is okay to take care of our mental health, we have learned how important it is to take care of our physical health. Yes, arranging a doctor’s appointment has become more challenging but we have adapted to telehealth and found that helpful. We have learned not to take our physical health for granted by becoming creative with the ways we exercise, setting up home gyms and getting outdoors more often. We have subscribed to food delivery services to make sure what we put in our bodies is healthy and nourishing.

As we have nourished our bodies, we have found new ways to nourish our souls. Perhaps the year 2020 has taught us that it is okay to not be okay. Perhaps 2020 has taught us that to look inward for answers to life’s most perplexing questions. Perhaps 2020 has taught us not to take ourselves, our friends and family for granted. Perhaps 2020 has taught us who and what is important, where we want to put our energies. Yes, 2020 has been challenging on many fronts and we can choose to look at 2020 as bad or we can pause for a moment and remember how 2020 changed our lives for the better. The choice is up to you. I am not saying that for many people 2020 was not a year of loss. I am asking you to think about what you have gained from this year. Strength. Resilience. Compassion. Kindness. Hope. Love.

It seems, all of a sudden, the holidays are upon us. Winter is near and for many people, the combination of shorter days, a change in the weather and the chaos of the holidays can mean an increase in depression and anxiety. Add to that mix the fact that we are in the midst of a global pandemic and it may seem even more difficult to navigate this season.

How can we best take care of ourselves during what for many can be a very busy time of year? How can we best take care of ourselves when we are in the midst of a pandemic that has many people looking at renewed stay-at-home orders? The answer is to practice good self-care. Self-care allows us to better take care of ourselves so that we can take good care of our loved ones and also allows us to take our power back.

Some of us may struggle to decide what self-care looks like. It means different things for different people, as all things do, but here are some ideas you might consider:

• Wrap yourself up with a cozy blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.

• Light a fire in the fireplace and simply gaze into the fire.

• Listen to a favorite Christmas music.

• Pop up some popcorn and watch a beloved Christmas special or movie.

• Drive or walk around and look at holiday light displays in your city, town or village.

• Give yourself a holiday-themed manicure or pedicure.

• Make yourself a mug of tea and simply watch the snow fall.

• Put on some relaxing music and practice yoga or other indoor exercise.

• Bundle up and take a walk through the snow either by yourself or with a loved one. Remember what it was like to be a kid playing in the snow.

• Make a snow fort and have a snowball fight with your family. Follow it with mugs of steaming hot tea or cocoa.

• Build a snow man complete with eyes, nose, arms and scarf.

• Visit the Oak Park Conservatory or Garfield Conservatory (Garfield is free!) if you live in the Chicago area.

• Bake some Christmas cookies for yourself, a friend, a neighbor or deliver them to a homeless shelter.

• Remember to stay hydrated.

• Take up a winter sport such as skiing, snow shoeing or snowboarding.

• Take a hot bubble bath complete with candles and relaxing music.

These are but a few ideas and I am certain you can come up with more. These ideas may help you manage feelings of depression or anxiety that can crop up with the holiday season, particularly now that we are navigating the holidays during a global health crisis.

For those of us who struggle with self-care and may think that self-care is selfish, please remember that you cannot pour from an empty cup. If you do not take care of yourself, it is difficult if not impossible to take care of anyone else. Please try to remember that you deserve to take care of yourself, to nourish yourself, your body and your soul.

We are living in challenging times. Many of us are feeling the weight of this pandemic and taking care of ourselves is of utmost importance. It is crucial that we as we continue to navigate this pandemic and the holiday season that we take the time to take care of ourselves so that we can be at our best for those who we love and cherish. The holiday season can be challenging in the best of times, but even more so now. Remember that you deserve to make yourself, your physical and mental health a priority. Self-care is not selfish; it is an act of self-love.

~ Karri Christiansen, MSW, LSW, CADC, CCTP