Self
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December 2019 | REDONLINE.CO.UKT h e M o r e O r L e s s D e f i n i t i v e G u i d e
To Self-Care (The Experiment) by
Anna Borges is out 1st November4
Do an
energy audit
Striving for ‘balance’ can feel like
an added burden, but it just means
you should have enough mentally
revitalising elements in your life to
equalise the things that tire you out.
Make a list of all aspects of your
daily life (work, chores, seeing
friends, sleep) and note whether
each activity charges your battery or
depletes it. Let yourself drop certain
balls in pursuit of balance; you can
always pick them up again later.
5
PUT YOUR
CHRISTMAS TREE
UP EARLY
STUDIES SHOW THAT
PLANTS CAN BOOST
YOUR MOOD BY
SUPPRESSING YOUR
SYMPATHETIC
NERVOUS SYSTEM AND
LOWERING BLOOD
PRESSURE, HELPING
YOU FEEL LESS
STRESSED. SO DON’T
SAVE YOUR TREE FOR
THE 24TH – PUT IT UP
EARLY AND REAP THE
BENEFITS FOR LONGER.8
Close your
brain tabs
Sometimes the thoughts in our
brains are the equivalent of
having too many tabs open on
our computers, which can make
us feel tense, scattered and
overwhelmed. Keep a notebook
handy so you can jot down stray
thoughts: call it your ‘brain dump’.
That way, if something crops up,
you can return to it later and it
won’t take up valuable headspace.3
DANCE ON
YOUR OWN
Forget the work Christmas
party – throw a dance party
for you, and you alone.
Research has found that
dancing can reduce feelings
of anxiety and depression, as
it gets your blood pumping
and releases endorphins.
If you’re alone, you can listen
to your favourite tunes (no
matter how cheesy) and
dance with gay abandon. It’s
liberating, and pretty fun, too!1
KEEP AN EYE
ON YOUR COPING
MECHANISMSCheck whether your methods
for dealing with stressful
situations are actually making
you feel better or worse.
For example, if you’re an
anxious person, alcohol can
seem to be a great social
lubricant but, in fact, you can
experience more anxiety
as a result of drinking. Be
honest with yourself and
make changes.2 Fix
something
small and
irritating
That drawer that always
gets jammed or the fitted
sheet that won’t stay on
your mattress might not
seem like big deals, but
they’re punctuating your
life with small irritations
until you’re carrying
around a simmering
undercurrent of annoyance.
Try fixing something small:
it’ll only take a few minutes
and you’ll eliminate that
frustration so you can
focus on the things that
really matter.7
Feel the heat
Applying heat to your back, neck
and legs can improve circulation,
help promote recovery from
physical ailments and loosen
muscles. But it also just feels really
nice, so stock up on heated mattress
toppers, car seats and hot water
bottles. Warm baths have been
shown to lower blood pressure- add natural sea salts for extra
calming and healing benefits.
6
Think about
‘future you’
Present You will eventually become
Future You, and you’ll regret the
ways you haven’t looked out for her.
So do the dishes before you go to
bed, don’t leave your food shopping
until Sunday evening, or your
Christmas shopping until the day
before. Have empathy for your future
self, and she’ll thank you for it.WO
RDS:^ARIELLE
TCHIPR
O
UT.^ P
HOTOGRAPHY:^ ANITABRESSER