Your Zen minute: It can be hard to slow down. With so much to do, it often feels irresponsible to be doing anything but going, going, going at full speed. But just like an actual machine will break down if it’s operated non-stop, you will not perform well — and might hurt yourself — if you won’t take time to pause.

Was last week’s post helpful to you? These past few months, we’ve all spent time doing so many things, and often for so many people. And one person who most likely did not get enough well-deserved attention is you. Self-care is so important, yet often challenging or uncomfortable. Let’s take a moment to examine that.

Self-care means taking an active role in protecting our own well-being, and having the tools to respond to stress, so it doesn’t lead to sleep loss, lack of focus, or a health crisis. It means taking a moment to ask yourself what you need and following up with an honest answer. Self-care can be as simple as getting to bed earlier or taking a look at some of the habits you’ve created and their long-term impact.

Let’s begin by creating a self-care plan. Think of this as a road map you carry with you to ensure you walk your talk:

• Create an activity list organized around various parts of your life. Set up categories — for example: work, exercise, relationships, community. For each category, list activities you relate to that contribute to your well-being. Examples might be spending time with friends, meditation, or maintaining healthy boundaries. Have fun doing this and remember to be real with yourself.
• Make note of any barriers that may be in your way and how to remove them. What may prevent you from doing a particular activity? How can you best address that?
• Share this plan with your family or closest friends. Rely on your network of self-care buddies. Remember, you are there for them and they can be there for you!

Here are a couple of quick ways to practice self-care right now:

1. Unplug from the news and social media for a few days. Turn off the alerts, notifications, and TV. Don’t worry — it’s not forever…
2. Recognize when you need self-care and then respond to it. Sometimes that may involve asking someone to watch the kids for a day or taking a PTO day. Be OK with that!

Most of all, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are important to so many people — most importantly YOURSELF!

If you do these exercises, we would love to hear how they went at shorelines@northshorebank.com. Thanks for reading! —Pat Ingelse, AVP, PMP