How to Take Care of Yourself Inside & Out

As those of us here in Toronto move forward into Stage 3, most of us are getting the hang of the new normal… I think by now it’s safe to say that everyone washes their hands regularly, we own various masks and everyone (for the most part) is aware and attempting to stay six-feet apart in public spaces. Although these things can be uncomfortable or annoying, we’ve become used to these protocols and understand that they were put in place to keep each other safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But there’s more to taking care of yourself than simply washing your hands… In fact, there is one safety measure that you might not be so familiar with at all…one that is so important and yet we keep tucked away in the back of our minds.

At Moorelands Kids, we have this habit we like to keep in mind called “Take Care of Yourself Inside and Out”. This habit really spoke volumes to me personally during the lockdown and it’s still a habit we highly recommend to all — to practice every day.

Take Care of Yourself: “OUT”

When we say “Take Care of Yourself Inside and OUT,” we really mean to say your physical body. How is your body doing? What are you doing to take care of your physical health? Consider the food you’ve been eating or the amount of physical activity you’ve engaged in since everyone’s regular routines and scheduled activities changed back in March.

Take Care of Yourself: “INSIDE”

When we say “Take Care of Yourself INSIDE and Out,” we are referring to your emotions and your mentality. Each one of us that has been cooped up at home these past few months has probably had more time to reflect on ourselves than all the time we’ve been given in our lives so far! For some, it was a healthy measure of re-evaluation but for others, we may have gotten sick and tired and frustrated and annoyed and maybe a bit trapped… and as it turns out, maybe we’ve discovered we’ve been a bit unsatisfied with ourselves. If that’s you, I’d love to mention now the recent Hub Post called, Don’t Let Yesterday’s Mistakes Define You, is such a good read and I recommend it.

INSIDE SAFETY

How can you take care of yourself and stay safe on the inside? Here are some recommended tips that we like to talk about at Moorelands:

NO Self-D’s:
- No Self-Disrespecting: Don’t disrespect yourself! Treat yourself with patience and courtesy – be kind to yourself.
- No Self-Demeaning: Don’t beat yourself up when you make a mistake. Most of us know it’s not ok to call someone else “stupid” etc. but it’s important to avoid negative self-talk too. Don’t call yourself mean names just like you wouldn’t throw those words at another person.
- No Self-Diminishing: Don’t de-value yourself! You are important! Even if you’ve made a mistake, it does not make you less of a person. Acknowledge mistakes and do your best to make amends and learn from them.. use them as an opportunity for growth; become more not less!

Fill your day with positive moments!
- Have a happy music playlist.
- Do an activity you enjoy. Check some of the videos of activities we put together for you to do at home!
- Share encouragement to family or a friend over the phone.
- Be in nature.
- Be physically active as much as possible.
- Practise mindfulness.