Self-care and Wellbeing Tips for Young People
07/07/2021
Looking after our physical and emotional wellbeing can be difficult to maintain at times, especially because of the time we have been spending at home due to the pandemic. Whether your current thoughts about the changes ahead are of excitement or apprehension, taking time to focus on your self-care and wellbeing can really benefit us emotionally.
Be kind to yourself
Treat yourself how you would treat a good friend. Notice your ‘self-talk’ and reflect on if this internal talk is positive and encouraging, rather than negative and critical. Tweaking our thoughts to make them more optimistic can improve our mood. Putting boundaries in place, such as, not taking on too much when we are feeling stressed or low can really help.
Mini health check
Are you getting enough water and healthy food? Are you getting daily fresh air? Are you showering often? It is easy to let healthy habits slip which can have a negative impact on wellbeing. Trying to look after our physical needs can really lift our mood.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep can help us to think more clearly and give us more energy to practice better self-care. Try to limit screen time in the bedroom, limit caffeine in the evening and try to do relaxing activities nearer to bedtime. This can help us to wind down fall asleep easier.
Make a self-care ‘survival kit’
Write down all your self-care ‘go to’ activities and things that bring you comfort. This could be your favourite box set, favourite meal, relaxing bath, reading, going for a walk or listening to favourite music.
Practicing gratitude
Set yourself a reminder everyday to pause and list three things you are grateful for that happened during your day. This could be small things, such as, being thankful for the bus arriving on time or the dry weather. It could be feeling grateful for having a friendship with someone or enjoying a meal. Reminding ourselves of positive aspects of our lives can improve wellbeing.
Connecting with others
Reaching out to family, friends or colleagues, even when we do not feel like it, can be useful in lifting our mood. Sharing a problem can often help us make sense of it more. If problems feel too much to share with someone you know, look at getting in touch with Manchester Mind or other local mental health services.
