 I'm Dr. Jess. Welcome to this session of Cup of Optimism, a short series in which I share my advice with you to stay grounded, focused, and optimistic. Today we're going to talk about strategies for self-care. Dive into what self-care actually means and how to integrate it into our daily lives. Self-care is a term used so frequently. It can almost start to lose its meaning and you might think it doesn't apply to you or wonder if it really helps. As a board-certified psychiatrist, I'm a huge proponent for self-care and I recommend it not only to my patients but everyone else. So let's dive in. We've all been navigating a lot of change and disruptions recently and a lot of us are experiencing new and increased stress. Self-care can help address this but it's not just about relaxation. The main idea with self-care is really paying attention to your psychological and physical needs and not waiting until your cup is completely empty. And so the best self-care practice to begin is with you. Here are some questions to get you started. How am I actually feeling today? How does my body feel? How does my mind feel? It might feel obvious but these answers are so important. Try following your answers with the why to help you understand how you got here. What was my last full meal? Have I been drinking enough water? How have I been sleeping? Have I exercised? Moved around. What do I need from myself? What do I need from others? Taking the time to check in with yourself is huge. What else have you got to be proud of but also what can I let go of? Think about this but don't expect yourself to be able to make change overnight. It's great to even just identify what you can leave in the past and now that we have this information we can work to create space in our daily routines to address this need. As a new mom I'm definitely not getting all the sleep I need and guess what? That might not be able to change right now. What can change is being aware of my needs and finding something that makes me feel cared for. Like taking a moment to brew and enjoy a cup of tea to give myself a moment of peace and so much needed energy. So now that you've tuned in with how you're doing you need to apply the best self-care for your situation. We want to apply the care to the root of the problem not just put a band-aid over the symptom. So let's go back to the first question. How are you feeling? Are you feeling tired like I do? What makes you feel rested or gives you energy? Maybe it's taking a moment to lie down on the couch or chat with a friend who really excites you. How are you feeling emotionally? You could take a few moments to journal and some of these thoughts and feelings can get out of your head and onto the page. Why not try eating a healthy meal or going for a walk, drinking some water, getting some sunshine or taking a nice hot shower? Now there's no perfect answer for what self-care is because everyone is different and we all need different things at different times but it is good for everyone. I hope I've given you some tools and ideas that will help empower you to upgrade your own routines. Make the space for those self-check-ins and start creating habits that will help keep you feeling more comfortable, balanced throughout your day. Keep your cup full and remember while optimism is a great mindset to have it does require practice. We all are on different life journeys and self-love and compassion is the most important part of self-care. So be kind to yourself and take it one step and one day at a time.