Self-Care Tips @ SRC

This is an important one, but hard one. Creating boundaries might be saying no to something, so you can spend some time doing something you like doing (a bath, reading a book, spending some time outside). It might be creating a list of things that make you unhappy and uncomfortable, and choosing to stop doing them. It might be muting your text conversations for a couple of days or switching your phone off for a night. 

This might sound simple, but think back to your week- how much time did you spend doing something you really enjoyed? And if you did do it, did you feel guilty about it? If the answer to that first question is ‘very little’ and even when you did, you felt guilty for resting, then you might need to try and create some space for yourself to recharge and enjoy yourself. It could be reserving some time to catch up on your favourite Netflix programmes, or putting in your headphones and going for a walk, or learning a new skill, or being creative! If you start with just half an hour, that’s okay- it’s a start, and once you make it a habit, you’ll be surprised how much time you can make for yourself! 

Sometimes, and especially in this time, you can feel really isolated and lonely, which can stop us doing ‘self-care’. If this is how you’re feeling, remember that you’re not the only one, and maybe consider finding yourself a community of people who feel the same/or understand what you’re experiencing. Here at SRC we have launched our new Online Groups @ SRC, which include a Virtual Coffee Morning every Monday morning, and we have also created our Book Group (we even send you a free kindle/audiobook version of the book). If you’re looking for something a bit more lowkey, you can join Community @ SRC, our private Facebook group for survivors. It is really useful to have a support network of people you can go too if you need them! 

If there is something that is hanging over your head, or building up that is worrying you, then try and set some time aside to deal with it. This can be a really hard step to take, but here at SRC we are here to and empower you with the choices that you make, so reach out to us if you think that you might need some support.  

Mindfulness feels like another word which we are seeing everywhere at the moment, but you can be mindful in a variety of ways. Of course, you can start with the apps, such as Headspace, or Calm (or even YouTube) for guided meditation, but you could also join our Yoga For Survivors every Friday in our Facebook group, or have a browse of our Mindfulness resources here, or Rape Crisis England and Wales’s grounding techniques here.