Mental Health Awareness Month
Self-Care during the COVID-19 Crisis
From Senior Regional Manager, Katrina Seastrunk
My mental health has been a struggle lately being home alone all the time. We’ve also experienced loss and grief in the last year, and I worry about my family in New York. I took a moment recently to figure out what still makes me feel happy and fulfilled at the end of the day, and I wanted to share some of that with you!
Activities for You
- Gardening | Simply sitting and weeding my garden beds made me happy, but then adding in vegetables and herbs made it feel like an accomplishment. I also planted flowers on my porch and refilled the bird feeders (read: squirrel feeders). Are you doing anything outdoors?
- Bird watching | My mom and sister got me into bird watching! While I’m the most casual bird watcher of us three, I enjoy that it connects us from far away. Between my few feeders and a birdbath, I manage to take videos and share them regularly. What are you doing to stay connected to your loved ones?
- Reading old favorites | I decided now was the perfect time to relive my favorite series. I’m starting with Harry Potter, but I know that CS Lewis and The Chronicles of Narnia are next. Are you reading anything that brings you joy?
- Stretching and yoga | Are you sitting way more than normal? I know I am, even though it’s spring. I try to do some stretching a few nights a week. Nothing hard, nothing fancy. Just stretching out my hips and back and neck after a day working from home. I’ve found my sleep is better those days, and sleep is one of my favorite things. What are you doing to move your body?
- Connecting with others regularly, even virtually | As an introvert, I often want to skip scheduled social activities, but always find great joy and connection when I stick with it. Who have you been meaning to reach out to? Now’s a great time to do it!
- Swipe on some bright nail polish | I’m wearing a bright orange-pink this week called Cajun Shrimp! If you don’t wear nail polish, you can bring some color into your days through a new phone background, a brightly colored shirt or some flowers. How are you adding color to your days?
Activities for Kids
I don’t have any kids of my own yet, but I have neighbor kids and friends with kids, and these are some fun things I’ve either seen or done with them. Have fun; it’s not just for kids!
My mom used to pack us a picnic lunch, and then we would “go to the zoo.” We’d set out our stuffed animals all around the house and tour them. I even remember the stuffed elephants liked the pennies we fed them for lunch. My mom was pretty fun!
Some other fun ideas include:
Recipes
For me, cooking at home more regularly has been one of the biggest social distancing blessings! I love to bake and to nourish my family with meals that I’ve made myself. My family is Polish and my husband hails from a more traditionally southern family. We love Thai, Greek and Italian foods as well.
Here are some recent recipes I’ve made and enjoyed:
- Super Crumb Coffee Cake
- Angel Wings (faworki in Polish)
- Ginger Chicken Skewers
- Everything Bagels
- Breakfast for Dinner Grit Bowls | This is one of my favorite meals any time of the day, and one of the few breakfast meals I can convince my husband to eat for dinner. It’s simply creamy yellow grits, crumbled bacon, feta cheese, scrambled eggs, and sliced scallions, but you can substitute any kind of cheese or breakfast sausage and, of course, cook your eggs the way you like them.
Additional Self-Care Tips from SC Thrive Staff
Our staff has also been sharing videos throughout the Coronavirus crisis about how they choose to practice self-care. Check out their videos below:
Barbara | Cooking as self-care
Beth D. | Beekeeping as self-care
Joan | Serving others as self-care