Self-care is an essential aspect of overall wellness, especially for those who participate in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It includes various activities and routines that aim to reduce physical and mental tension. According to the World Health Organisation, self-care is crucial enough to dedicate a whole month to it, culminating in International Self-Care Day on July 24th. Prioritising self-care means taking an active role in your own health, and the benefits extend beyond stress relief and mood improvement to disease prevention and longevity.
It is essential to note that some of the most effective ways to embody self-care are intentional and proactive. Here are four inspirations for unwinding this month and participating in a worldwide movement of health-conscious enjoyment. 1. Spend time outdoors Reconnecting with nature is a profound experience that touches on so many different aspects of overall wellness. Spending time outdoors comes with positive results such as improved heart health, soothed muscle tension, and reduction in levels of cortisol (often called the “stress hormone”). Outdoor time could mean anything from exploring a new walk in a lakeside park or getting a vigorous workout with Kayak-Cardio. 2. Pick up a mindful hobby Engaging in any activity that pulls your focus from the internal toward something external can be a healthy pursuit of mindfulness. For example, joining a group who do free tai chi in the park or practicing yoga and meditation weekly.
0 Comments
After itching to get back out there so long how do you re-enter society after months of isolation? As the long weekend is upon us some will run at the opportunity, some will ease back into it, and others may need a leg up to get off the couch! Working from home, home schooling and reduced socialisation has been the reality for many due to the pandemic. I find myself forgetting to plan outings as our restrictions start to lift in Australia. Crazy huh after itching to get back out there so long and connect!
Having been so busy as a counsellor and caseworker during the pandemic it’s caused me to get back to basics. I’m so grateful to have a job. But doing the little things like food prep, growing veggies and herbs , drinking enough water, going for a walk in the winter sun, doing a little bit of cleaning each day, ringing a friend. That’s the stuff that keeps the wheels turning. All these little choices help me keep aligned to my values. The values of health, wellbeing, friendship, etc. Some of those little things I’ve let slip during the period of isolation. Not vacuuming enough (really missing the office cleaner), skipping daily walks, eating too many carbs. I’m only human! So this week I started a gut reset, have been eating mainly vegetables and lost a few much needed kilos. It has been a good kick start to help me re-enter society coming into a long weekend. It feels good to be in alignment again, I’ve got some energy back, it has cleared my head. Now I’m ready to face the world again. This time in person! After all it's only by connecting with others that we share love. What little steps are you taking to get back out into the community this long weekend? Are your choices aligning with your values and the person you want to be? You were born to connect, express and give love. If you feel you want a little support to get back out there and connect...I’d love to connect with you. For those living with a disability community access is possible. There are creative ways to connect. Book a counselling session with Tania today! The meaning of life! What is it, how do you find it and when do you arrive at it? The meaning of life is often pondered at times of profound grief. The type of gut wrenching, knock the wind out of you, can't get out of bed for six months grief. Ever been there? Maybe you're there right now. Posturing the circle of life, balancing on the edge of a high place, or laying in the depths of sorrow. To love is often associated with risk of grief.
To love is to become attached to another person or animal. The recent outpouring of sadness for the koalas lost and injured in the Australian bushfires demonstrated Australia's love of our iconic bears. The depth of collective sadness was remarkable. In contrast, what about a parent's private and protracted grief after the loss of an adult child to suicide. Sadly stigma and shame can be a barrier to an outpouring of support for the bereaved. I think about my mother who cared for her husband who lived with the slow progression of vascular dementia for 23 years. At the end of his life she put on his bronze memorial plaque 'My chains are gone!'. It struck me as a remarkable celebration of his freedom and a sign that she had already grieved the loss of the man she loved. The way we grieve is therefore affected by the circumstances. Expressions of grief in some families may not be tolerated in other societies. When my new husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness I'll never forget how I felt. I think I mentioned it earlier...gut wrenching, knock the wind out of you, can't get out of bed for six months type of feeling. Yet he reacted in the opposite way that was foreign to me. Nobody was right or wrong. It's messy, this grief thing. It's intangible and foul smelling if we let it. Complicated grief can happen when it goes on a very very long time. Theorists have debated models of grief for centuries...Freud, Shear, Wagner, Warden to name a few. What seems to affect the way we cope with grief is things like how attached we are to the person, personality, spiritual beliefs, complicating factors like mental health, abuse, culture, social norms and circumstances of death to name a few (Hall, 2011). Grief is a really personal thing. Nurses stepped up a notch when my loved one entered palliative care. The outpouring of empathy, kindness, consideration for the little things was outstanding. It made the whole death thing somehow tolerable. Do doctors crank up the morphine and teeter it to the edge of what some may call euthanasia...so that it is 'a good death'. It spared the patient from the depths of physical pain. Come to think of it I've been present when three loved ones have been in palliative care. The pattern each time was doctors releasing them from suffering. I recall my ethics professor discussing Thompson's famous violinist case...which illustrated when making decisions about life and death always consider is it 'for the greater good'. Quite an ethical dilemma...the euthanasia debate. Which brings me back to the meaning of life. We critically analysed abortion for 13 weeks in my philosophy class...I remember wishing I could do my essay on the ethics of euthanasia because it was more topical for me at the time. In studying ethics, I reflected on the social conditioning and institutionalisation I had been exposed to in my lifetime and how it had impacted my choices. At the end of the circle of life, personally I want to know I have lived a good life? Have I been kind, ethical, responsible, considerate of others in my choices and behaviour. Just being a decent human being, living life for the greater good seems enough for me. Kinda makes me want to start a kindness epidemic with so many doing it tough! Support for grief and loss support is available. #philosophy #circleoflife #bereavement #grief #griefandloss #death #life #meaningoflife #palliativecare #naturaldisasters #bushfires #suffering #euthanasia #resilience #makenewmeaning #loss #griefsupport #griefjourney #griefandloss #love #grieving #mentalhealth #healing #death #lifeafterloss #bereavement #depression #childloss #hope #babyloss #griefawareness #anxiety #miscarriage #support #widow #griefsucks #family #stillbirth #selfcare #griefrecovery #infantloss #pregnancyloss |
AuthorTania Gorry is the founder of Whole Warrior Solutions based on the Central Coast of NSW. Blog Categories
All
Blog Archives
December 2023
|