How to improve self care after illness and a stressful time?

[Newhouse76]

Just that really, have always been on the go working to full capacity.

Am a single parent to DD, 15 who is with me 100 percent of the time. Have very ill and elderly parents. Have a very full on job that needs me to travel to Europe and I have team members in the US and Asia so I work at all sorts of times. Work has taken over since my divorce as have very few friends in the city where i live 😬.

Have just operated in a whirlwind feeling slightly stressed, however after a period of sickness at Xmas, have been diagnosed as profoundly/ severely deaf in one ear, caused by my body being too tired to fight an infection 😬.

I need to look after myself however I feel im more productive when slightly stressed so the thought of a cup of tea and a magazine does not really sound relaxing right now so i need other ideas too!

Please could you help with any self care ideas or suggestions on how to slow down

Hi, OP...how about yoga? Just kidding, as I can not tolerate a yoga class...being in one makes me so nervous that i feel like jumping up and running out of there. Have you tried looking at Buzzfeed on your mobile? I sit and can relax for hours whilst laughing my eyes out at the hilarious things they come up with....I love the cute cat photos, or adorable dogs and babies together, another fun one is " parents hilarious texts", or "25 unusual ways to tell your boss you are quitting". anyway, I'm sure you can find something on there or on youtube that will make you laugh...as they say, "laughter is good for the soul" and "....the best medicine" It is very relaxing to just get out of the real world for awhile and giggle your head off....be careful, though...these sites are addicting🤣

I would suggest some regular exercise with an individual trainer, I do Pilates and DH does more traditional gym stuff. It is focused purely on your needs and the individual sessions mean you are accountable for going but can also flex around your schedule.
Make sure you are taking vitamins and moisturizing yourself as part of your daily routine.
Have a look at diet, does it need an overhaul?
Can you schedule regular annual leave throughout the year, get it booked in before your diary becomes too full.
Half an hour walk in the fresh air everyday.
Gardening, even a window box is therapeutic for some, craft for others.
Maybe a drop in class for something so you could go when you were in the UK, I have a knitting thing that works on that basis.

Google "self care wheel". Was suggested to me by a therapist. Most of it are really simple things that don't take time, but when you do them consistently they really improve your well-being.

Initial thoughts would be looking into mindfulness. Headspace or Calm do good apps, or look at Mark Williams' book on the subject, he's a worldwide leader in the field. I'm currently in the early stages of using mindfulness to help a chronic back pain condition, unfortunately not a simple as popping a pill and need to train my mind to help me. Not easy!

Also look at Dr Chatterjee. He has a fab weekly podcast on a range of issues and a number of books, The Stress Solution in particular. If you're not a reader, don't be put off, they're in a real digestible format. It's all about lifestyle medicine to help improve your general health.

I worked out what habits I needed to have to help improve my health (take vitamins, drink 5 glasses of water a day, hAve minimum 5 fruit and veg a day, Get 7 hours sleep, you get the drift) and got the Done app, which allows you to set up habits and track them - as someone who likes to be productive as well, it’s great because I can tick things off throughout the day, and get the satisfaction of knowing every action is making me a bit healthier - plus no enforced relaxation!

You will get lots of ideas here and from reading around. I would write them all down and try to implement them gradually one or two at a time.

For me getting off the phone is important because I feel like it's down time but when I come away from it I still feel frazzled and 'busy'. I have set timers for Chrome (1hour) and all social media (30 mins each) on my phone.

That kind of links in to my other tip which is treat yourself like your teenager, or better like a young child. Every day you would make sure they have sleep, healthy food, exercise, fresh air, not too much screen time. So nag yourself into it. Your lunch break is just as important as your next task on the to-do list.

Thank you everyone, some great tips here

I definitely need to improve sleep and get off the phone so will work on those also

Reading something really absorbing helps me.