FIRST ROW:
Music - Listen, Sing, Dance - Music can be a powerful tool as we practice self-care. It can help to reduce stress, lift us up, and be an outlet for emotional regulation and expression, whatever that emotion may be. Have a song you enjoy a lot? Or, discovered a new fave? Let us know in your check-in or share on the
🎶✨Song of the Day and Music Thread!✨🎶
Summer Self-Care To Do List - Okay, BIC, what are the self-care activities you want to engage in this summer? Write 'em down - on your phone, in your journal, on a series of post-it notes placed randomly around your screen ... wait, is that just me?!
Think of this square as either a way to revisit / re-evaluate your resolutions from the beginning of the year or to create a practical, realistic and manageable list of activities you want to do this summer, with the goals of those activities geared towards your well-being. It can be 1 thing you want to work on for the summer or a handful of activities. Create your Summer Self-Care List and use it as a guide for your working towards wellness this summer.
Practice Gratitude - What or who are the things or people you are grateful for? Some examples for practicing gratitude, include but are not limited to:
- Making an effort / carving out time in your day to be (more mindful) of the people, events and things in your life this week that you are thankful for
- Letting someone know in an email, text, in person, etc. that you are grateful/thankful for them or for something they did
- Writing in a journal about the people, things you appreciate
Seasonal Fruits & Veggies - Get in your fruits and veggies. Summer offers a plethora of delicious fruits and vegetables. Grill 'em. Add 'em to your oatmeal, salad, water, and/or smoothies. Or just eat them as they are. If you have a farmers' market near you, grab a bag & head on over to see what's available. If not or that's not your thing, have a helping of fruits and veggies, seasonal or otherwise.
Get Outdoors (Remember SPF & H2O) - Days are longer, weather is warmer (for the most part). Enjoy it! Some ways to get outside and enjoy the beauty of summer include:
- go for a walk, hike, run, or bike ride
- eat outside - whether you're dining out or at home
- have your morning coffee (or tea) outside - thank you _ather for inspiring this one
- start or continue to look after a garden
- spend time at the park, maybe even have a picnic or fly kites, play a game of touch football, chase butterflies
- go to the beach
Remember your sunscreen and water! If you have a favorite sunscreen, hop on over to
National SPF Day ☀️ and share your fave(s).
SECOND ROW:
Summer Stroll - Going on a long walk can be a great way to explore your surroundings, clear your mind and enjoy the warmth of summer. It's a wonderful way to get some exercise. You can go on your own or do it with a friend or group of friends and have some time to catch up along the way.
Speak Kindly To Yourself - Affirm yourself. For your resilience. For your thoughtfulness. For your work ethic. For your accomplishments. For your amazing sense of style. For the things that make you you.
Affirm yourself. Out loud. In your journal. To a close friend or family member. To yourself.
Affirm yourself. When you're surrounded by noise. When no one is looking.
Affirm yourself. When you're taking a summer stroll. Or exercising. When you're on your commute to/from work. When you're lying in bed, trying to get to sleep. When you're sitting down with a cup of tea or glass of wine. When you're standing in front of the mirror.
Exercise Outdoors (30 Minutes) - Take advantage of the summer sun (remember sunscreen and water) and to the extent you can, exercise outdoors - go for a run, play tennis or pickleball, go swimming, try paddleboarding, give yoga in the park a try, sign up for an outdoor boot camp, go for a long walk, hike, or bike ride, etc.
Eat / Drink Outside - If you're dining out and it's available, ask to sit outside. If you're at home, make yourself a coffee, tea, smoothie, spirited drink and sit outside on the steps or in your backyard. Or grab a cup of coffee (home made, store bought or from a coffee shop) and head out for a leisurely walk.
Intellectual Wellness - Giving our brains a workout (that's different than the hoops and hurdles it may be asked to go through in your day job). An article published in UC Davis Heath described intellectual wellness as being "about nurturing your mind." Intellectual wellness "encourages you to stay curious, engage in creative activities, and continue learning through life." Some ways to go about improving our intellectual wellness include:
- Reading
- Writing
- Learning a new language, skill, craft, instrument
- Engaging in brain teasers or mind puzzles, like sudoku, working on physical puzzles, Rubik's Cube, crossword puzzles, riddles, quiz night at the neighborhood bar, playing against the contestant on Jeopardy!, etc.
- Taking a class or workshop
- Watching documentaries, listening to podcasts & audiobooks on a subject or topic that is new to you (or an area that you are delving into)
- Traveling
Please note that neither I, nor to my knowledge (without inquiry) Sephora, are affiliated with UC Davis or UC Davis Health, or any other organization, business or brand referenced here (unless otherwise noted).
THIRD ROW:
Limit Screen Time - There have been many "digital detox before bed" squares in our monthly wellness bingo. This one adds a slight twist to the practice of unplugging from our electronics. Setting them aside for a period of time during the day (when we really do not need to be on our phones or computers, etc.). We're all at different stages in terms of how often we use our electronics outside of work or beyond when we really need to reach or use them.
- Try setting aside your phone and not reaching for it when you're out to lunch or dinner with friends and family - if you need to leave promptly to get back to work or wherever you are going next, set an alarm and then put your phone away, for half an hour, an hour, more ...
- Carve out 10, 20, 30+ minutes that you might otherwise be on social media and replace it with an activity, possibly a self-care activity, that doesn't require the use of electronics.
Prioritize Sleep - Quality sleep - a well rested brain and body - can play a crucial role in our wellness, our wellbeing. It can be hard to make time for it with all the things we have on our plates, but every effort counts. A few ways to prioritize sleep include:
- Limiting your screen time or disconnecting from electronics as you unwind and prepare for bed
- Creating a wind-down pre-sleep routine and work on keeping to it consistently
- Going to bed and wake up at the same time every day
- Avoiding a large meal, alcohol, and caffeine before bed
Free Space - Do something wellness related or nothing at all (which can also be a form of self-care), this square is a freebie.
Have a Cool & Refreshing Drink - Or, if you prefer a warm drink, that'll work as well!
Pay It Forward - This square involves doing a good deed for someone else, with no expectation to receive anything in return. There are several ways to "pay it forward", including, but not limited to:
- Being kind: Offer a sincere and meaningful compliment. Actively listen to someone when they're speaking.
- Being courteous: Let someone go in front of you in line at the store, on the road. Return someone else's shopping cart.
- Being grateful: Be grateful for the kindness of others; accept someone else's help or offer for help.
- Being generous: Offer to help someone with their errands, chores. Share your knowledge, skillset, expertise.
- Being positive: Offer kind and encouraging words to someone.
- Donate: Give the gift of your time, money, or goods. If you're spring cleaning your house, consider donating clothing to a shelter or canned food to your local food bank
- Volunteer: Sign up to volunteer your time at a local animal shelter, soup kitchen, place of worship, retirement home, etc.
FOURTH ROW:
Have a Healthy Meal - Whether you're cooking at home, going out, getting take-out or having it delivered, or reheating leftovers, etc., sit down, slow down, and practice self-care by nourishing your body with a healthy meal. If you a food pic or recipe to share, have at it here or check out the
Re: What's on your plate? thread.
Quality Time with Loved Ones - The sun is out (or should be, for the most part). Enjoy some time outdoors with (a) loved one(s), be it your partner, significant other, family, friends, fur babies. Carve out time to be with the ones you love and who love you.
Physical Wellness - Physical wellness is about the actions we undertake or refrain from undertaking in our efforts to reach or maintain the optimal or maximum health of our physical bodies. It is closely tied to other areas of wellness and there are several ways to go about looking after our physical wellness, including -
- Moving your body. Getting regular physical activity - walking, stretching, lifting weights, yoga, cycling, etc. Start small if this is new to you.
- Nourishing your body. Being mindful of what we put into our bodies. It's not necessarily about following a certain type of diet (unless certain restrictions or guidelines are directed by your healthcare provider), but making efforts to consume good-for-your-body foods, balancing fruits, veggies, grains and healthy fats that your body needs to perform optimally.
- Getting adequate rest and sleep. It's recommended that most adults get 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night.
Look, I get it. 7-9 hours is not always easy to come by. Making it quality sleep during that entire time can be even more difficult. Do what you can to create a routine and sleep environment that can help you get there.
- Managing stress. Some amount of stress can be healthy and can optimize how we perform. Too much stress, however, is, well, too much. Finding ways to relax and relieve stress (whether it's taking deep breaths, giving ourselves a time out, journaling or talking to a friend or therapist, etc.) can improve our health in the long term.
- Preventative care. Scheduling regular medical check-ups, screenings and immunizations.
If you have an activity that falls in the physical wellness category, go for it! If there's something on this month's wellness bingo card that fits and you enjoy doing it, have another round of it. NIH also puts out a checklist that might be of interest (see below). Please note that neither I, nor to my knowledge (without inquiry) Sephora, are affiliated with the National Institutes of Health, or any other organization, business or brand referenced here (unless otherwise noted). You may wish to consult with a medical professional, heath care provider, trainer, nutritionist and/or other professional as needed before engaging in activities described in wellness bingo, including physical wellness activities described.
Stay Hydrated - Whether it's eight (8) - 8 oz of water, half your body weight or some other figure, get in your daily water intake, as well as extra doses with the weather warming up. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
New-to-You OR Tried-and-True - Whether there's a tried-and-true activity that promotes your well-being or something new-to-you that you've been meaning to try, go for it. If it's something you've already undertaken for this month's wellness challenge, do it again for this square! It can be part of an intellectual wellness practice, your emotional wellness, or related to wellness at work or looking after your finances or physical health. It can be done indoors, outside, involve a treat for yourself or just hitting 'pause', being still and relaxing. This is an open-ended square for Self-Care: Your Way, and in celebration of Self-Care Month, which kicks off on June 24.
FIFTH ROW:
Stretch (30 Minutes) - Go for a full body stretch or focus on one or more body parts. For example, if you sit in front of a computer all day, consider spending a good chunk of this time on your hands and wrists, along with your neck, shoulders and core. If you stand all day, maybe you want to focus some extra time on your legs and back. If you don't have 30 full minutes to spare (or if that's just a long time to devote to stretching), break it up for something that's more realistic for your schedule, your body, your lifestyle - maybe it's 3 10-minute sessions throughout the day. Maybe it's a series of 2 - 5-minutes stretches while you're on hold, on a video conference call (a great time to do some ankle stretches without anyone seeing what you're doing on screen). Or, maybe you start off the month trying to get in 10 minutes a day and work your way up to 30 over a longer stretch of time (pun completely intended).
Create - Arts, Crafts, Hobbies - With your hands. Your words. Your voice. Drawing, sketching, knitting, crocheting. Writing music, poetry. Painting. Coloring. Taking Photos. Creating a Look / Doing Your Makeup. A new or new-to-you meal or dish. This can include arts, crafts and hobbies, as well as tailoring your own plan for:
- bettering your physical health,
- promoting your emotional wellness,
- meeting your financial wellness goals,
- maintaining wellness at work,
- creating a space at home or in your schedule for quality self-care, and/or
- checking off the boxes on your summer self-care to-do list (see second square in Row 2)
Quiet Time - Meditate - Journal - Breathe - Sometimes we just need to quiet things down, slow things down. To be quiet, to meditate, to journal, to just breathe. Carve out 5 minutes, just 5 minutes and give it a try. If you can do more than 5 minutes, go for it. If the thought of being still or quiet for 5 minutes causes anxiety to creep up on you, aim for 1 minute to begin with, 30 seconds if a minute is too much.
Digital Detox Before Bed (30+ Minutes) - Unplug from your electronic devices for at least 30 minutes before it's time to turn off the lights and call it a night (unless you use them to unwind - i.e., audiobooks, Kindle, apps like Headspace, etc.). If 30 minutes seems too much, start out with 5 minutes or 10, whatever you're comfortable with.
Hand & Foot Care - Let's look after our hands and feet. A couple of ways to do this include:
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