If you did just one thing...

Self care is a big conversation in the field of mental health. Since the pandemic, more people are stressed, feeling isolated and alone, and depression is on the rise.

Some people think that self care equates to selfish care. This isn’t the case. Self care is a means of integrating habits into our daily lives that reduce stress, bring peace of mind and create micro-rituals that are beneficial to our overall well being.

“An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time.”

That’s a big deal if you ask me. When we consider the fact that we live in one of the most affluent countries in the world, this is a staggering number!

So where do we go for our mental health needs? What institutions are in place to support us?

• Counseling

• Medication

• Alternative therapies

• Diet

• Exercise

So we wander around in a frenzy, because who has time to stop, reflect and adjust the minor places that are lacking. When we are working, parenting, running to appointments, dealing with family emergencies, cooking and cleaning, we hardly have to breathe, let alone actually choose wisely in the realm of mental health habits.

What if we incorporated some of these practices into our life?

5 minutes of stretching first thing in the morning

I know, who has the time? But did you know that just adding 5 minutes of a body awareness practice can curb stress as well as many other health issues that seem completely unrelated to one another or to the act of exercising.

Alexander Pope said: "Strength of mind is exercise, not rest."

Plato also states that: "Exercise would cure a guilty conscience."

Harvard Health Publishing really delved into it with an article they published that highlights all the areas in which exercise can greatly improve our way of life by helping us RELAX and they are noteworthy!

Who knew that in order to feel most relaxed, we need to be more active? Well, some of us knew… but with all of these inventions in our modern age, when we thought they would provide the means for us to relax more and work less, we see the opposite.

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