SocialGov Self-Care: How to ‘be at your best’

It’s easy to put your own self-care on the back burner during a crisis, but it’s incredibly important not to, so you can be at your best for not only yourself but also your communities. Government Social Media council representative Jessie Brown breaks down a few quick tips on managing your self-care during the pandemic including why you should get enough sleep, focus on nutrition and get moving.

Watch the video above, or check out the transcript below - 

Hi, everybody, it’s Jess Brown with your social self-care minute-ish. I wanted to talk first about meeting your basic needs because this is the most important foundation that you have for self-care, and, unfortunately, this is one of the first things that we throw out the window when crisis starts and we go into crisis communications mode.

And so that means, getting enough sleep — which I know we’re all struggling with right now — getting good nutrition and drinking enough water and getting some movement. It doesn’t have to be crazy run five miles, lift heavy weights, just some kind of good movement, right? Because we get into crisis mode and we’re so focused on our work and what we need to do, that we sort of set those things aside. But, if we can take care of those things, it’s going to help us be better focused, be in a better mode, have better energy to deal with these things, make better decisions, and, of course, it helps boost our immune system which we could all really use right now.

Sleep. Trying to find a way to get to bed at a consistent time every night, get up at the same time every morning. If you’re working from home, pick a routine and stick with it. If you’re still going into the office, or a joint communication emergency operation kind of thing, do what you can with what you have. Find ways to work with your team on power naps or whatever it takes that you’re all well-rested because you all can’t burn out at once. We don’t want any of you to burn out.

Nutrition. With most of us could be stuck at home, so we’re at the mercy of the pantry right now, but if you’re still in an office situation, you’re probably more likely to be going into vendo land right now and depending on that for your meals, or fast food or whatever’s available to you. Do what you have to do, right? But the more good nutrition you can give your body right now, again, it’s going to help you be more resilient and have that energy and just capacity to deal with more; take your vitamins too if you can find them.

Also, drink your water. This is something we all push to the side, yes I have tea here right now, but, try to get as much water as you can. It can really help if you’re feeling symptoms of anxiety or depression, sometimes that happens when you’re behind on water. Drinking a quick 16, 32 ounces can really have an immediate effect. Also, this is hard to say, cutting back on caffeine. It’s what really drives a lot of us through the day right now in a crisis but it can help you not fall asleep at night, cause issues with that if you’re drinking too much of it during the day, and unfortunately, it can make the symptoms of anxiety and depression worse for people who have those anxiety disorders or clinical depression. Keep that in mind: Don’t go overboard on the caffeine.

Movement. It doesn’t need to be anything super complicated. If you can still get outside, go for a walk, walk around your yard, play soccer in the backyard, just get up and walk around the floor if you’re stuck in a joint emergency center. Gentle yoga. Anything just to keep your body moving will do so much to help keep that foundation strong.

Remember, you need to meet these basic needs if you’re going to be able to be at your best in order to help your communities and take care of yourself.

Please, take care of yourself, stay safe, stay healthy and I’ll see you soon.