Four Steps for Building Your Own Self-care Plan

You might feel as if it’s impossible to come up with a self-care plan, especially when you’re trying to care for your senior and do all of the other things you need to do in your life. These tips can help you to focus on what’s important.

Add Mindfulness to Your Day

Caregiver Albany, MN: Four Steps for Building Your Own Self-care Plan

Mindfulness is all the rage these days but it’s popular for a big reason. It’s a lot easier than it sounds at first and it can give you some big results quickly. All you need to do in order to incorporate mindfulness into your day is to pay attention to what’s happening and to how you’re feeling. That’s really it. You don’t have to do anything just yet, just notice what’s happening.

Check in with Your Breathing

A close cousin to mindfulness is to check your breathing. When your breathing is shallow, short, and close to hyperventilation, that’s a signal to the rest of your body that this is a bad situation and full of stress. Deep, relaxed breathing signals that you’re relaxed and content. When you start noticing your breathing, you can help to keep yourself calmer simply by deepening and relaxing your breathing.

Take Some Time Away from Being a Caregiver

Stepping back periodically is just as important for you as a caregiver as it is for you to show up and to do what your senior needs you to do for her. Taking time away helps you to shift your perspective and to remember that you’re a person with your own set of needs. That’s awfully easy for caregivers to forget, unfortunately, and it often leads to them ignoring self-care.

Pick Some Positive Habits You Want to Develop

Look at what you do now and determine what sorts of positive habits you want to add to your game plan. You might want to eat healthier, for instance, or sleep a little better. Look at what you need to do in order to improve those habits. Break down the steps and determine how you can go about making progress toward those new habits.

If your plan doesn’t work how you want it to at first, keep trying. This isn’t about being perfect right out of the gate, it’s about helping you to take the best care of yourself as you can while you’re a caregiver. Anything that isn’t working is something that you can adjust down the road.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering a Caregiver in Albany, MN please contact the caring staff at Alternative Senior Care today. Providing Home Care in Central Minnesota and Surrounding Communities. Call us Today (320) 352-3350.