Rhiannon’s Blog: The Importance of Self-Care

I know that I am better undertaking the tasks in my roles, that I am a better partner, mum and daughter if I look after myself as much as I look after others.

Life can be difficult at times, even more so within the current climate and there are times that I experience mild to moderate mental health issues which often present themselves as symptoms of anxiety and low mood. I lead a busy life, I have a challenging job in a challenging environment, I am a mum of two young girls, a sole carer for my mother who suffers with physical health issues and less than 9 months ago I experienced the sudden loss of my father.

There are times that I encounter a range of symptoms; I overthink, I have trouble sleeping, I use food as a comfort, I avoid social activity, I get agitated and grumpy too.

I have come to understand that it is important for me to use self-care as a preventative measure to ensure that what I give out to the world comes back in. Self-care can be had through a variety of means but essentially comes down to taking time for oneself.

Some of the ways I have found to be useful for my general wellbeing and mental health are, organising myself better; planning out important tasks for the week, giving each task enough designated time to carry them out and asking for help when I need it. This approach makes time feel more manageable and less stressful. By doing this alone, it helps me to free up some time to have to myself to do other things such as think about nice family dinners and cook or bake from scratch, which not only offers a welcome distraction from the everyday pressures but my family get to enjoy and benefit from the sitting down and eating a hearty meal together.

Time to myself also allows me to be creative, to work freely on a blank canvas and use thick gloopy paint and a pallet knife therapeutically and often the paintings end up in extended family and friends homes to spread the visual joy.

The last thing I do is regularly attend a local gym. I used to find this activity a real slog, but I also recognised that a fitter, healthier me strengthens all of the above. Fitting it in with my busy life however did not come too easy either for reasons around time restrictions, or lack of energy at the end of the day. I overcame this by nipping down to an instructed class or joining one of the gym’s online zoom classes at sunrise! Not only did the workouts become more accessible to me but it now allowed me to start the day feeling accomplished and motivated!

I know that I am better undertaking the tasks in my roles, that I am a better partner, mum and daughter if I look after myself as much as I look after others.

#DoOneThing

Find out more about the #DoOneThing campaign, and what you can do to support your mental health and wellbeing this World Mental Health Day: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day-2020/