What is Self-Care?

Self-care simply means being kind to yourself, both mentally and physically. It is about knowing when your resources are running low, and stepping back to replenish them. It is about not letting those resources get too low in the first place. It is about consistently integrating self -compassion into your life on a daily, ongoing basis. Practicing consistent self-care can improve your mood and reduce anxiety. It can reduce the negative effects of stress.

 

The self-care journey is ongoing–and it changes over time. Here are some ideas and guidance to starting and growing your self-care routine:

Hope for Winter

Hope for Winter

Our northerly tilt away from sun only really lasts for a few months in the calendar – though this season seems to linger too long sometimes. How can you give your grieving self support (and a break) through this last stretch of winter?

Challenge yourself to a Self-Care Streak!

Challenge yourself to a Self-Care Streak!

We all know self-care is important, but that doesn’t mean we do it. A million things get in the way. Threads of Life’s Self-Care Week is coming up again this July, and it offers a chance to try something new, learn what works for you, share your experiences with others, and maybe have a bit of fun.

Self-Care: What works for us

Self-Care: What works for us

Threads of Life’s Volunteer Family Guides provide peer support to others who are coping with the effects of workplace tragedy. Every guide goes through intensive training for their volunteer role. They learn how to draw on their own life story to help another along their journey of healing. And they learn the importance of self-care – both for themselves as volunteers, and for the families they’re supporting. Here, our VFGs offer a grab bag of self-care ideas from their own tool kits:

Resources for your self-care plan

Resources for your self-care plan

Self-care is a bit of a buzz word these days. Unfortunately, lots of people are ready to dismiss it, at the very time we all need it most. If you’ve been affected by a work-related tragedy and are coping with illness, injury or grief; if you face challenges to your mental health; or if you’re simply trying to keep things balanced while you navigate the pandemic and all of life’s other currents, you need a plan for your own self-care.

Men in Grief: Self-Care is for You Too!

Men in Grief: Self-Care is for You Too!

While grief styles may shift for both men and women, exploring our own style of grieving can provide insight into how we as individuals need to work through the messy part and feel supported. How we care for ourselves as grievers can also give focus and attention to what we need to do for self-care.

Un-planning Self-Care

Un-planning Self-Care

Have you ever asked yourself ‘what does good self-care really look like?’ I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most people don’t exactly know what self-care is to them. To be honest though, it doesn’t really matter if you haven’t figured it all out yet!...

The 3 Ingredients in Restorative Self-Care

The 3 Ingredients in Restorative Self-Care

When was the last time you were stressed out? Maybe when you were paying bills, watching the news, attempting to make sense of COVID-19 or processing paperwork as a result of the loss of your loved one. Your heart starts racing, your palms get sweaty, your stomach jumps into your throat. We experience these feelings so often we don’t even recognize that we are stressed, and that our physical and mental health is compromised.

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