This is a thread about self care for health service staff, specifically now during the COVID pandemic. With so much disruption to the everyday running of our health service, and so much work ahead to return to routine clinical practice, it's easy to feel emotionally run down. https://twitter.com/AndrewMageePsy/status/1110764367522553858

Before I get into discussing self-care, I want to talk briefly about Resilience. There's lots of resilience stuff floating around at the minute.

You can't teach Resilience, you grow it. And it takes time, resilience comes slowly, in safe contexts.

Self care isn't necessarily something that you "do". It's an attitude to yourself, and the world that flows around you. Anything you do with the intention of being kind to yourself, is self care. The rest of this thread is intended as a motivation to self-care.

Self care isn't all bubble bath and bars of chocolate. It's hard work, and challenges our attitude to our self. We often don't feel that we deserve self care this is something I'll talk about in a bit.

Let's go through the basics first; eating properly, wearing clean clothes, sleeping properly, looking after your personal hygiene, talking to people, drinking enough water, asking for help, and exercising are all the very fundamentals of self care.

Try to put aside regular time for yourself, a breathing space to do something that's just for you. If it's hard to think of what to do try to put together a pampering list that you can refer to. Make the effort to make time for yourself, don't just assume it will come to you.

Pause before giving answers to requests. It's very easy to over commit it and stretch yourself to please others. Next time you're asked to do something, breath and pause before answering. Get into the habit of saying "let me think about that and get back to you".

Bring awareness to your internal chatterbox. We all have an inner voice; sometimes this can be supportive, but a lot of the time it can be harsh, critical or judgmental. If you're unsure if your internal dialogue is critical, ask yourself if you would say it to a close friend.

Not all self-care is about doing things that you think are nice for yourself. Some self care involves things you might not find enjoyable. Going to the dentist or the GP, seeing a therapist, giving up smoking or asking yourself hard questions are all really important.

Avoid things that maybe aren't good for you. The obvious things include caffeine alcohol, and sugary foods.

Whether due to stress or the effect of isolation due to lockdown, people are doing things that are out of character for them. Try not to to lose friends by pushing boundaries in inappropriate directions. This can have devastating consequences for your relationships.

If you were previously a regular recreational drug user, but haven't had the opportunity to engage in drug use since lockdown began, why not think of this an opportunity to re-evaluate your drug use?

Self-care is most important when you feel you deserve it least. Learn that you don't "earn" or "deserve" self care, you're not "treating yourself". You have value just because you exist, learn to nurture yourself when you feel that you don't deserve it. You're investing in you

Other ideas for self caring include unsubscribing from mailing lists that you don't want, editing your social media feed by taking out negative people, learn to use the mute and block buttons.

Learn to activate your self soothing system; moisturise your skin, learn to stroke your arm, your face or any part of you. Get to know yourself intimately and sexually; learn what you like, and what you don't like. Don't be afraid to explore yourself, love your body.

Reading is a wonderful way to engage in self-care; there are books out there to suit all tastes. Think of what interests you, and find a book on it. Reading can slow your brain down as much as meditation, it can excite your imagination, and is a beautiful form of escapism.

Self care isn't selfish. It isn't self-pity, indulgence, or shirking responsibility. It's not about telling yourself that you're never wrong. It's about taking care of your mental emotional, spiritual, and physical health. And, it's the key to a good relationship with yourself.

Beginning and nurturing an attitude of love and affection to yourself now, during this time will form a beautiful foundation for you to love yourself more deeply than you have before, for when we returned to the world proper. See it as an opportunity, and take it with both hands.