As we descend into the hot breath of summer in quarantine, I am reminded of the importance of self care. Its easy to slip beneath the waters of stress and uncertainty and forget to take care of yourself. YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS. In our culture, self care isn’t a priority so its natural to not even understand the concept. And yet I see it all around: well meaning people falling apart in their efforts to not fall apart under the crushing weight of stress. Whether its politics, schooling, childcare, pandemic anxiety, despair over social justice issues, anger, unnecessary bickering over personal protection equipment or all of those combined with the necessity to remain functional to pay bills – its a lot.

Remember that you are the captain of your ship. Maintenance of that ship is crucial for sailing above all else. This can mean a bath, talking to friends, gardening, chopping vegetables, watching a movie, yoga, dance party at home, coffee, drawing, picking flowers, swimming off hours, hugging, push ups, the list goes on according to your preferences. Don’t know your preferences? UNDERSTANDABLE. Try whatever you feel like but above all be kind to yourself. You’re living through a lot right now and the best way to support others and get through this is to care for you.

Allow yourself to fall apart from time to time. Cry, yell, just FEEL IT. It doesn’t have to mean anything, it is simply a natural process for stress relief. Watch any animal documentary and see what they do. They freak out and then, once its shifted (which can take just a few minutes) they are able to simply move on. Emotions are movement. Let them move you so that you can move on. Notice how they feel rather than make up a story about them and what they mean about you. You are a human animal in stressful times.