After a long, pandemic winter where we were isolated, distanced, and masked, spring has finally arrived in Maryland with warmer weather, longer days and the promise of social connections, especially at outdoor gatherings. Self-care will continue to be important to keep you strong and healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally. We asked some of our MCF staff to share their self-care tips for spring. Here are the top 10!
- Go outside. Whether it’s for the full day or a few minutes, many of our staff say that every little bit of fresh air helps. Longer, lighter days give us more time to fit in some walks or outdoor socializing.
- Meal plan. Having a plan for shopping, cooking, and eating avoids last minute meal-time stress and allows you to consider how to add healthy fruits and vegetables to your meals.
- Spring clean your home. It sounds like the opposite of self-care, but our staff assures us that having less clutter and sparkly counters or floors just makes them feel better.
- Meet a friend for coffee. Now that there are more outdoor options for meeting, you can enjoy chatting, having a laugh and catching up on news with a good friend. Our staff advised us to pick a “low drama” friend!
- Take 10 minutes for yourself every day. Schedule this in as if it was a meeting and do only what you want to do — sit quietly, scroll through social media, or have a cup of tea. “This recharges my batteries to get through the rest of the day!” said one of our staff.
- Start reading a new book. Books can help us escape from our daily lives for a little while. Many neighborhoods have “little free libraries” where people leave a book and take a book and public libraries are opening back up again, so there are many options for finding new reading material.
- Take up gardening. For many staff, this was almost a meditative experience. Gardening can mean little pots of herbs in your kitchen, mowing the grass, or landscaping an area of your home or neighborhood.
- Practice gratitude — Appreciate all that you have in life, instead of constantly searching and wishing for what you don’t. One of our staff starts each day writing down three things they are grateful for and says it sets a positive tone for their day.
- Have a picnic or a barbeque. Preparing and eating outdoors makes everything taste better and clean-up is a breeze.
- Remember you are special and deserve some self-care! One our staff reminds us frequently, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Self-care is one way to fill your cup.