self care

We often forget about our bodies until something starts to hurt or stops working. Have you thought about the miraculous way that your body functions?

Join the National Center for PTSD’s 30 Days of Self Care with the the COVID Coach mobile app. Download the app today for tips on how to relax and recharge.

As the temperatures drop and days get shorter, it may be time to think about different ways to get yourself moving. Chair yoga is a great way to move your body and tap into your breath.

Acupressure may not be your first thought during the holiday season, as this time of year should be spent filled with family, friends, food, and memories. But this year everything will look different, and these couple of months could be stressful. Even if you love the holiday season, the expectations and extra work can be overwhelming. When you notice yourself feeling edgy, it's a perfect reminder that self-care is essential during the holidays, and every day.

Stress plays an important part in our day to day life. Left unchecked, it can affect our ability to feel balanced, both mentally and physically.  Allowing yourself space and time to recognize and release those feelings of excess stress is an important part of self-care.

Dr. Sharon Weinstein, chief of holistic medicine at the Salt Lake City VAMC, offers a 20-minute self-care head and neck massage video that you can use over and over to help you relax and feel the benefits of massage.

VA Health care workers are managing stressful situations and are exposed to the unknown course of the pandemic. The Hampton VA medical center has implemented a Stress Management Response Team (SMaRT).

Breath--something we do 20,000 times a day--is one of the body’s most important functions, and one that we can notice in every moment. 

A mindful body scan makes us aware of how our body is feeling and bring us into the present moment. This is a type of mindfulness that connects our breath to the sensations of our body. We acknowledge parts of the body that might be experiencing pain and discomfort and learn to relax areas where we might be holding tension. The body scan can allow us to let go of some of the things causing us stress, even if only temporarily.

Facing adversity is a natural part of the human experience. When situations arise and we find ourselves feeling fear, worry or anxiety, we often focus on those thoughts and lose sight of the people, places and things we are grateful for.

One of the best things we can do for our health is to allot time to rest and relax. Regular periods of relaxation decrease our heart rate and blood pressure, improve our sleep, help maintain normal blood sugar levels, reduce stress hormones, improve our concentration and mood, and so much more.

There are many ways the mind can affect the physical body. Soft Belly Breathing can bring a sense of relaxation and body awareness.