Self Care
Self care is a vital part to one's mental health. The self care strategy that we have chosen is the practice of mindfulness. Practicing mindfulness allows us as humans to switch off and take a minute to really understand ourselves and what we need. Our strategy of yoga, meditation and breathing exercise allow for us to reach the relaxation response that mindfulness offers.
How does self care work?
Ever feel stressed or anxious only to return back to normal after a few minutes of practicing mindfulness? This is because mindfulness induces a relaxation response by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system - the system that “resets” the body after a stress response. It calms us down by lowering our heart and respiratory rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. Practising mindfulness is also known to reduce the markers in physical symptoms of stress such as: C-reactive proteins, interleukin 6 and cortisol. This also means your risk of serious diseases linked with these markers (e.g insomnia and irregular heart disease) as well as other mental health illnesses are greatly decreased. Of course, these effects depend on the mindfulness technique you use so it’s best if you do several different types instead of just one. Here are a few you could try in your own time!
- Observing your thoughts
- Focusing on your breathing
- Mindfulness Meditation