It has been a while since I have had the time and energy to write a blog post, but this prompt of the day connected well with me right now.
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What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?
As an occupational therapist, I am constantly learning and creating strategies to support the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of my clients. Whether I’m working with a three year-old or a 93-year-old, my goal is always overall well-being.
As a woman with anxiety and potentially autism, (at least for sure some sensory processing disorder), I also spend a lot of time exploring my own personal strategies for health and well-being. In the last few years of working with my clients, I have explored so many different strategies for them and have tried a bunch for myself.
This past few months have been a testament to the strategies that I have explored and built and practice for myself as I go through a major break up. I have spent enough time practising and getting comfortable with strategies, and normalizing the need for them, that I have been able to use them to get through this difficult time.
As an occupational therapist, I truly believe that strategies for well-being, not only include healthy, eating and exercise, and taking care of your physical health, but it is also important to have meaningful activities and the safe environment. It is also really important to explore what these strategies may look like and to practice them when you are in a calm mentality. This way when you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed or sad or angry, you can actually use them more automatically.
The biggest strategy that I have found is safe people. Recently I started seeing a neurodiverse affirming therapist and it has been such a positive experience! Being able to talk to someone who truly takes the time to listen and interpret, but also is someone I don’t have to take care of their emotions (that’s a challenge for me) is so amazing. I also have been so thankful for the safe people I have fostered in my world where I can just BE with my people and not worry about having to entertain. I have friends who have taken me out places, bought my groceries, lay on the couch with me binging shows… and just allowed being without talking which has been magical.
Another very important strategy for me is knowing my safe environments. For example, if I’m feeling very overwhelmed, I will often take myself for a walk or sit outside because Nature is very calming for me. For anyone who has anxiety or feels high stress, there is research coming out that supports Nature as a positive strategy for people with anxiety as well as ADHD and autism. Going for a walk also adds a physical component to get your body moving and if you connect to music, putting headphones in and further the benefit.
I have my sensory strategies as well, which support my overwhelm. I constantly have my loop earplugs in my keychain in case I need them, my sound cancelling headphones, which I love wearing out in public, and I always have a fidget toy with me. I love my weighted blanket to sleep with, and I just recently bought a weighted stuffed animal to add to my sleep routine.
Weighted stuffed animal : https://amzn.to/46AelKF
Loop ear plugs : https://amzn.to/3WClDK8
Another major thing that I have tried to explore as a strategy for my well-being is positive hobbies to engage in. One of my most recent ones is junk journaling, and coloring, and I’m teaching myself how to play the guitar! These are obviously not strategies that I would use in a crisis, But on a day that I’m spending time alone, I like to fill my time with things that bring me joy and these are easy things I can do on a very exhausting day. I have also, on the theme of hobbies, started playing Pokémon GO again in order to get myself out of the house on the weekends!
Finally, something that I have tried to do to really help my mental well-being is incorporating routines into my day. I have created a morning and evening skincare routine, which is both to physically help my skin, but also to be able to spend intentional time taking care of myself. Because I’m constantly so busy and now that I am a solo person in the house, I have also created task list that I can slowly chip away at throughout the week in order to make my space feel safe and comfortable.
Overall, one of the big things that I have tried to incorporate into my life as a strategy for my well-being is the practice of self compassion. With all of the things that I have mentioned above, the routine and hobbies, I have been working on being gentle with myself. I work a very busy job that is both mentally and physically draining, so practising self compassion, supports self-care and well-being, especially when I can’t muster up the energy to do the activities that support my well-being. For example, if I think it would be beneficial to do art, but I don’t have the energy to do so. I will be gentle with myself and allow myself to watch television without guilt. That sounds really silly, but, I have worked very hard to get to that place and I think that has really made a difference in the way I experienced my life!
Please remember that these are my strategies, and I write this to share my experience, but am in no way saying these will definitely help for you. It is also important to remember that sometimes certain strategies will work and then sometimes they won’t. So don’t feel disappointed if even after creating successful strategies you feel lost in certain challenging moments. Please always make sure that you are safe in the environment you’re in and choose strategies appropriately!
If you have any questions or would like more information about different strategies, please comment below!
Be Your Own Sunshine 